The mid-january time of the year, hindus celebrate the harvest festival..... the harvest season in a particular region is because of the climatic conditions and the type of crop grown at the particular region at that time of the year. It mostly occurs in the southern part of India where the winter is subsiding. There, they call it Pongal. Lohri is another harvest festival that occurs in another indian state- Punjab. Maagha Bihu is the harvest festival happenning the same time in Assam. The festival is the celebration of the arrival of new grains, pulses or may be sugarcane, new fruits. Pongal, the term means abundance and prosperity. People celebrate to mark their efforts in bringing up the crop..that gives an encouragement. They celebrate for the the arrival of new food. They make feasts out of the new crop. The domestic animals like the cows , buffalo and the oxen would be given much importance because without them farming was not possible(keepin in mind the days of farming before the invention of newer techniques). it is basically a farmer's festival
Bhogi, Pongal and Lohri are meant to be celebrated on the shortest day of the year. A key feature of Lohri is the bonfire. Lighting of the fire has been common in winter solistice festivals throughout time and the world. it signifies the return of longer days.The bonfire is an ancient tradition, forming a key part of Lohri traditions and is done in the early hours of the day. Here old things are discarded and new things are welcome. This harvest festival marks the beginning of a new financial year for the farmers.
This festival is celebrated in Maharashtra, Gujrat, Karnataka, Andhrapradesh, Bihar, Madya pradesh, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. Celebrated in January, this harvest festival goes by different names in different states.
why worship animals. As I mentioned in my earlier posts worship is a means of paying respect. Man with the capacity to think feels he is nature's most superior creation. unless he is told that paying respect gives him profit he would not care. So came the tradition where man was told that by worshiping the cows one would get prosperity... this was a simple technique to make man more humble and sensible towards the other creatures.
Sankranthi/ Makar sankranti... the day coincides with the above mentioned Harvest festivals. It marks the change in the direction of the sun more northwards. it also hearalds the beginning of spring in the particular region of Indian subcontinent.
Sun is the light and energy that propels life and one can imagine life without the sun. Hindus worship/ pay respect to the sun by chanting mantras. The mantras carry sound vibrations that create a soothing synchronous energy/ aura around the magnetic field of the particular person... bringing in more harmony.
Festivals all over the world bring in harmony and discipline to mankind..making him more humble, sensible and to make him realise and understand that he is a part of the nature and he needs to respect this nature.
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