India is referred as the most diverse country in the entire world. Being a diverse country it has a lot to offer regarding it’s cultural and natural heritage making it unique in its own right. The month of October  even makes country culture more distinctive as October brings with it a colorful variety of festivals of cultural & religious importance giving a sense of excitement and lifted spirits of all alike.

This period of the year sees Indians in a festive mood, while everyone celebrates a range of festivals from Durga Pooja, Dussehra, Diwali, and Halloween in metros to a totally stunning folk festival known as Jodhpur Rajasthan International Folk Festival. It is a celebration of people’s passion for music and beyond.

All These Festive Celebrations are held all over the country with great flourish, sheer enthusiasm, eagerness, and gaiety. People indulge themselves in delicious sweet dishes, burst firecrackers, light beautiful lamps and colorful rangoli to mark the festival.  But, you will discover different pictures of the festival in my native place which is a rural area of the country where farm communities live. This October festive season signifies the harvest festival, as it occurs at the end of the cropping season.

This festival is celebrated across India with no discrimination for caste, color, creed or religion. This period marks the end of cropping season which means its result time for farmers!

Every harvest typically brings prosperity to the village. The harvest festival is celebrated by farmers after they reaped their harvest. People celebrated with joy and offered prayers, and express their gratitude to the Almighty for the bounty they received from him

That’s not just it, Every rural part of the country has its own uniqueness during this harvest festival ranging from the traditional practices to preparing cultural cuisines, which can be best explored by personally experiencing it.

While the list of the total harvest festival celebrations in India is huge, following are some of the ways harvest festivals are celebrated surrounding my native place.

Herbal Bonfire:

Many villages surrounding my native celebrate the harvest festival as a harbinger of good health. Lighting Bonfire of herbal wood of different types accompanies the celebration, unlike firing of crackers in cities and towns. The smoke from the herbal wood bonfire is believed to keep villagers healthy. This tradition also stands for the philosophy, that is, “hard work brings wealth, and good health is required for hard work.”

Folk music & dance

The age-old harvest festival is celebrated amid a lot of festive fervor sand cheer everywhere. It is amazing to see how harvest festival has become an occasion for all country people irrespective of their status and castes. To revel on this occasion, people perform a folk dance in rhythm with the beats of folk music.

Village fair & melas:

There are outdoor fairs and Melas across towns whereupon People surrounding to the community come in throngs to celebrate the festive season. The markets liven up in advance for festive shoppers and the shopping frenzy peaks with the advancement of the occasion. Many plays and dramas are performed during fair.

Hurda parties:

Hurda or coal roasted tender jowar is the show stealer of the festival. Hurda parties generally begin around November. The tender Jawar stalks are cooked in hot coal ashes. This freshly roasted hurda is then served with various types of chutneys made of sesame seeds, groundnut, dry coconut, garlic and red chilies.

Fun time for children:

Harvest festival is fun & happy time for many children. Children get new clothes; get to visit fair and melas. Many of them enjoy home decorating & rangoli painting.  Divination games, playing pranks, telling scary stories, visiting forts are also part of the enjoyment Children do.

Being culturally diverse Countryside has its own set of advantages as it gives the opportunity to learn, explore and be a part of the various colorful and bright festivals to get up close and personal during this time of the year. The Harvest Festival is one way for those who are new to countryside & farming to see what it’s all about by visiting different places along the countryside

While these are just some of the many ways for festival celebrations, the harvest festival has a lot more to offer, experiencing these various events by traveling across the countryside is an escapade in itself.