Pola is a thanksgiving festival celebrated by farmers in

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

and

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prad ...

, to acknowledge the importance of bulls and oxen, who are a crucial part of agriculture and farming activities. It falls on the day of the ''Pithori

Amavasya Amāvásyā () is the lunar phase of the new moon in Sanskrit. Indian calendars use 30 lunar phases, called tithi in India. The dark moon tithi is when the Moon is within 12 degrees of the angular distance between the Sun and Moon before conjun ...

'' (the new moon day) in the month of

Shraavana Śrāvaṇa ( sa, श्रावण) is the fifth month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Śrāvaṇa is the fifth month of the year, beginning on July 23 and ending on August 22. In the Tamil calendar, it is known ...

(usually in August). During Pola, farmers don't work their bulls in the farmland, and the day is a school holiday in the rural parts of Maharashtra. The festival is found among Marathas in central and eastern Maharashtra. A similar festival is observed by Farmers in other parts of India, and is called ''Mattu Pongal'' in south and ''Godhan'' in north and west India. In Telangana, a similar festival is celebrated on full moon day and is called ''Eruvaka Purnima''

Celebrations

In preparation for the festival, bulls are washed and massaged with oils. They are decorated with shawls, bells, and flowers, their horns are coloured, and they get new reins and ropes. The decorated bulls and oxen are walked in procession to the village field accompanied by music and dancing. The first bullock to go out is an old bullock with a wooden frame (called ''makhar'') tied on its horns. This bullock is made to break a ''toran'', a rope of mango leaves stretched between two posts, and is followed by all the other cattle in the village. Homes in the village are decorated with rangolis and ''toran'' on top of doors. ''

Puja thali A puja thali () is a tray or large container on which puja materials are accumulated and decorated. On Hindu religious occasions, festivals, traditions and rituals, the puja thali maintains an auspicious role. A puja thali may be made of steel, g ...

s'' with

kumkum Kumkuma is a powder used for social and religious markings in India. It is made from turmeric or any other local materials. The turmeric is dried and powdered with a bit of slaked lime, which turns the rich yellow powder into a red color. In Indi ...

, water, and sweets are prepared, and when the cattle is returned from the procession they are formally greeted by family members, with an earthen lamp with

ghee Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from India. It is commonly used in India for cooking, as a traditional medicine, and for religious rituals. Description Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from ...

for '' puja and

aarti ''Arti'' (Sanskrit: Ārātrika, Hindi: Ārtī) is a Hindu ritual employed in worship, often part of '' puja'', in which light (usually from a flame) is offered to one or more deities. ''Arti(s)'' also refers to the songs sung in praise of the ...

''. On the following day, children decorate wooden bulls with beads and flowers. Ornaments which are used in India to decorate livestocks of cattle DSCF6078

Ornaments which are used in India to decorate livestocks of cattle DSCF6078

References

{{reflist Festivals in Maharashtra Animal worship festivals in India Marathi culture