Harvest, which is the conclusion of the growing season, is marked by the vibrant orange colour stacked at the roadside. It is a season of reflection and gathering in, enjoying the fruits of the farmer’s labour.
Harvest is a season to prune and maintain the plants themselves, a season to fertilize to invigorate the plant’s production of fruit and finally a season to tend the fruits as they develop. A farmer plans for his crop all through the winter, and then cultivates the soil in spring, and finally plant the seeds of a new crop as the spring end. Throughout the summer, he works vigorously maintaining and protecting his crops from drought, pests, and unwanted vegetation. And when it’s finally summer time, he begins his harvest – laying his hands on the precious crops that he tendered until such time.
The role of a farmer in this activity is similar to how a mother takes care of her child right from the time it develops in her womb. Just as a mother is a mixture of the toughness of granite and softness of blossoms, the sharpness of razor and the coolness of mountain streams, the calmness of still water and the purity of untrodden snow , so is the farmer. To him the crop he grows is like his child. He looks after it with care and finally during the harvest season, he is rewarded for his hard work.
Ancient farmers believed that crops contained spirits, which caused the crops to grow and die. Many believed that these spirits would be released when the crops were harvested, and they had to be destroyed lest they would take revenge on the farmers who harvested. Some harvest
festivals celebrate the symbolic defeat of these spirits. In course of time, the celestial Supreme Being was recognized and the soil was regarded as the womb of the mother earth, and to disturb it, was considered a perilous undertaking often demanding appeasement.
In an agricultural country like India where seventy percent of our population live in villages and a vast majority are mostly dependent on agriculture, harvest season is very important. People in different parts of India celebrate this season in their own traditional style.
- Pongal is a significant harvest festival in Tamil Nadu. It is celebrated in the month of January every year. People decorate their houses with decorative rangoli and families come together and cook a traditional dish called ‘Pongal’ which is made using freshly harvested rice.
- Baisakhi is a harvest festival which is celebrated in the month of April. Bhangra and Gidda dance performances are a must during this festival
- Onam, celebrated in Kerala, is a harvest festival that occurs in August or September. It is characterized by the grand Onam Sadya (a grand feast) and the elaborate floral carpet called ‘Pookalam’ which adorns every house.
- Bihu festival is celebrated in Assam during the month of April as the Assamese New Year. It indicates the onset of the Assamese farming calendar. It is marked by the traditional Bihu dance, lighting of Meji, a bonfire to mark the end of the harvest season and grand feasting.
Harvest festival is also celebrated across the globe in different manner. Some of the notable festivals are:
- Rice harvest festival is celebrated in Bali, Indonesia. Ceremonies are held to drive evil spirits from the land. Effigies of goddesses are placed in the fields. Towns are decorated and bull races are conducted as a part of celebration.
- Mid-Autumn festival is celebrated in some of the Asian countries like China, Taiwan and Vietnam. Since it coincides with the full moon on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, it is also called as the Moon festival. Special delicacies like mooncakes are prepared and it is the time of family get-togethers and public celebrations.
- In the United States, Thanksgiving is the harvest festival celebrated in the month of November every year. Families come together and celebrate it in a grand manner.
- Germany’s Oktoberfest began as a harvest festival which is celebrated as the end of the agricultural season with beer, traditional Bavarian food, and lively music. It has evolved as one of the world’s largest beer festivals.
Thus during the Harvest season,
The golden wheat blankets the barren field,
The wheats are ripe, mature and ready to eat.
The farmer will then use his sickle or harvester to caress this wheat,
Though the plant faces its impending demise, the wheat will embrace its life!
By: Jayashree Sriram
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