In south India, harvest season and hindu new year is celebrated in many ways in the different states.
In the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, harvest and Hindu New Year is celebrated as Ugadi. Historically, the festival marks the New Year day for people between Vindhyas and Kaveri River who follow the South Indian lunar calendar, pervasively adhered to in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa. Ugadi is celebrated with great fanfare; gatherings of the extended family and a sumptuous feast are ‘de rigueur’. The day, begins with ritual showers (oil bath) followed by prayers. The eating of a specific mixture of six tastes, called UgadiPachhadi in Telugu and Bevu-Bella in Kannada, symbolizes the fact that life is a mixture of different experiences (sadness, happiness, anger, fear, disgust, surprise), which should be accepted together and with equanimity through the New Year.
In Tamil Nadu, harvest is celebrated with Pongal (also called Thai Pongal). It usually coincides with the festival Makara Sankranthi celebrated throughout India as the winter harvest,and is usually held from January 13–15 in the Gregorian calendar ie from the last day of the Tamil month Maargazhi to the third day of Thai. This also represents the Indic solstice when the sun purportedly enters the 10th house of the Indian zodiac ie Makaram or Capricorn. By celebrating Pongal, Tamils thank the Sun god for the good harvest and consecrate the first grain to him on this day. As part of the festivities, people decorate their homes with banana and mango leaves and embellish the floor with decorative patterns drawn using rice flour.
In Kerala (and also Mangalore and Udupi districts of Karnataka) harvest and New Year is celebrated as Vishu usually in the second week of April in the Gregorian calendar. It marks the New Year in accordance with the Malayalam calendar,known as the Kolla Varsha. The most important event in Vishu is the Vishukkani, which literally means “the first thing seen on the day of Vishu after waking up”. The Vishukkani consists of a ritual arrangement of auspicious articles like raw rice, fresh lemon, golden cucumber, betel leaves, arecanut, metal mirror, yellow flowers konna, and a holy text and coins, in a bell metal vessel called uruli in the puja room of the house. A lighted bell metal lamp called nilavilakku is also placed alongside.
This is arranged the night before. On the day of Vishu, is is customary to wake up at dawn and go to the prayer room with eyes closed so that the Vishukkani is the first sight of the new season. Setting off firecrackers is part of the vishu celebration, especially for children. People wear new clothes for the occasion and elders of the family gift money, called Vishukkaineetam, to children, servants and tenants. It is is also a day of feasting and people prepare foods consisting of equal proportions of salty, sweet, sour and bitter items.
If you want to be notified next time, subscribe to the RSS feed or say hello via Twitter @theotherhome. You can plan your dream holiday with us, visit The Other Home.
(Photo Courtesy: Boston.com; jiboombaa.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment