When harvest is plenty

TAMARAPU SAMPATH KUMARAN

The harvest season is one of joy. A time to give thanks to God for his bounty and celebrate the
occasion with joyous festivities.

Bringing in the sheaves

Throughout history, mankind has celebrated the bountiful harvest with thanksgiving ceremonies.
Ancients use to collect the fruits, berries and wild grass and sometimes the seeds and the edible
roots. By accident they found the seeds and roots germinating, and this turned into a deliberate
practice. Then they recognised that fresh supplies could be grown by sowing the seeds and
cultivating the resultant crops. The transition from hunting to hoarding, and food gathering to
agriculture was a gradual process.

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 recognised and made the source of creative
activity and the various aspects of nature were related to him, directly or indirectly, as the head of
the pantheon. Soil is regarded as the womb of mother earth, and to disturb it was considered a
perilous undertaking often demanding appeasement.

Mohanjadaro civilisation reveals the prevalence of harvest festivals in ancient times in India.

The ancient Greeks worshipped the goddess of corn, Demeter, who was honoured at the festival
of Thesmosphoria held every autumn.

The Romans worshipped their goddess of corn, Ceres, and the festival is still held on October 4,
when the goddess is offered the first fruits of the harvest and pigs.

The Chinese celebrate the harvest festival Chung Ch'ui on the full moon that falls on the 15th day
of the eighth month.
Jewish families celebrate the harvest festival called Sukkotu, during the Hebrew month of Tishri.

Egyptians celebrated the harvest festival in honour of Min, the god of fertility and vegetation,
during spring time.

India is a land of festivals. Seventy per cent of India's population lives in villages, and a vast
majority solely depends on agriculture. As a result most of the festivals are related to the
agricultural activities of the people. Pongal is one such festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu, every
year after the harvest season in mid January. Farmers get ready to thank god, earth and their cattle
for the wonderful harvest and celebrate the occasion with joyous festivities and rituals.

Pongal is also celebrated in the North Eastern states of Assam as Bhogali Bihu, the worship of
Agni the fire god. It is celebrated as Lohri in Punjab, Bhogi in Andhra Pradesh, Makara
Sankranthi in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal. To mark the harvest
season, Baisakhi an important festival in Punjab is celebrated in April.

Americans celebrate the festival as Thanksgiving day held after the harvest on the fourth
Thursday in November.