Pola Festival in Maharashtra: Farmers in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh celebrate Pola, a festival of thanksgiving to honor bulls and oxen, which are essential components of farming and agriculture. It occurs in the month of Shraavana on the Pithori Amavasya day. In rural Maharashtra, the day of Pola is a school vacation. Farmers refrain from working their bulls on the farm.
Marathas in central and eastern Maharashtra celebrate this occasion. Farmers in other regions of India celebrate a celebration akin to this one. Also known as ‘Mattu’ Pongal in the south and ‘Godhan’ in the north and west.
How is the Pola festival in Maharashtra Celebrated
Before the celebration begins, the bulls are bathed and given oil massages. Their horns are painted with care, and new reins and ropes are fitted to them. In addition, they are decorated with shawls, bells, and flowers. This festival is celebrated by all Maharashtrian people, but it is particularly significant to the Maratha community, which has a deep cultural connection to it.
As the festivities unfold, the ornamented bulls and oxen are paraded to the village field. Lively music and dancing fill the air, adding to the joyous atmosphere. The first bullock to take part is an aged one, which is adorned with a wooden frame known as a makhar. Attached to its horns is the symbolic goal of the festival: a toran—a rope made of mango leaves carefully wound around two posts. Following this bullock, the rest of the village’s livestock joins in a vibrant procession, marking the exciting climax of the event.
Villagers embellish their homes with Rangolis and Torans above the doors. Upon their return from the procession, family members ceremoniously welcome the cattle along with an earthen lamp lightened with ghee for puja and aarti. Puja thalis are provided with kumkum, water, and sweets. Children paint wooden bulls with flowers and beads the next day, decorations for cattle used in Pola.
In Chhattisgarh, Lodhi Rajputs visit their sisters’ and daughters’ houses. On this day, they deliver homemade sweets and foods like Thethri, Khurmi, and chakli. Pola Festival in Maharashtra
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