Harela Festival: Everyone likes the company of nature. At the same time, the beauty of nature increases manifold in Sawan. Where rain showers provide relief from the heat. At the same time, after this, the fragrance of soil makes the mind happy. The natives of Uttarakhand living in Uttar Pradesh are celebrating Harela, the folk festival associated with this Sawan, with great enthusiasm.
In fact, Uttarakhand, once a part of Uttar Pradesh, called Dev Bhoomi, may be a separate state today. But, the culture, Teej-festivals of both the states and the people living here have connected each other with a very unbreakable relationship even today. Where these people living in both the states have been participating in each other’s happiness, they also celebrate their respective folk festivals with enthusiasm. Harela festival is being celebrated on some similar lines on Monday.
Harela festival reflects the diversity of the country’s religious practices
Interestingly, for the people of other states of the country including Uttar Pradesh, the month of Sawan may have started from last week. But, the people of Uttarakhand consider Harela to be the beginning of Sawan. That’s why their Sawan month has started from today. The beginning on different dates of the same month also reflects the diversity of the religious practices of the country.
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Unique festival is celebrated thrice a year
The special thing is that where any festival comes once in a year, it is not so with Harela. In some people associated with Devbhoomi, this festival is celebrated three times in a year, at the beginning of Chaitra, Shravan and Ashadh, and somewhere there is a tradition of celebrating it once. The most important of these is the Harela festival, which falls on the first day of Sawan, because it is considered a symbol of the greenery of Sawan.
There is a unique tradition of sowing seven types of grains
Astrologer Dipankar Joshi told that the word Harela has originated from greenery. Nine days before the festival of Harela, seven types of grains (barley, wheat, maize, ghat, mustard, urad and bhatt) are planted in baskets inside the temple of the house or in the temples of the villages. For this a special process is adopted. First a layer of soil is spread in the basket, then seeds are put in it. After that soil is added again, seeds are added again, this process is adopted five-six times.
kept away from direct sunlight
It is protected from direct sunlight and watered daily in the morning. On the ninth day they are plucked from a branch of a local tree and on the tenth day i.e. Harela it is cut. Somewhere there is a tradition of cutting Harela on the ninth day.
The elderly woman of the house has an important responsibility
After cutting Harela, it is invited by the home owner with Tilak-Chandan-Akshat, which is called Harela Patisana. After that it is offered to the deity. After this, the elderly women of the house apply green to all the members. The meaning of applying is that Harela is first placed on the feet, then on the knees, then on the shoulders and finally on the head and as a blessing these lines, ‘Jee raye, jaagi raye…Dharti jas agav, aakash jas chakav hai jaye’. It is spoken like the sun, like the sun, like the ink. Today, this word is being heard again and again in the families of Uttarakhand origin.
This is how wishes for happiness are done
Jyotishcharya Dipankar Joshi told that they mean that you get greenery, keep living, be aware, be patient like the earth, be generous like the sky, be bright like the sun, have intelligence like a jackal, flourish like the grass of Durva and May you live so long that even after being toothless you have to eat ground rice and use a stick to go to the toilet, even then you can enjoy life. These blessings of the elders become a symbol of happiness and prosperity in the lives of the younger ones.
Harela is waiting for worship
The importance of Harela can also be understood from the fact that if any member of the family is not present at home on the day of the festival, then Harela is kept for him and whenever he reaches home, the elders worship him with Harela. . At the same time, many families deliver it to the remote members of their house through courier even today.
Important things related to Harela
Another special thing is that as long as there is no division of a family, Harela is sown in one place, even if the family members live in different places. Only after the division of the family, the members can sow and reap Harela separately. In this way, even today this festival has kept many families united. Along with this, idols of Shiva-family are also made on this day, which are called Dikare. The figures of pure clay are given the shape of the idols of Shiva-family with natural colors and they are worshiped on this day.
The reason behind the different start of Sawan in Uttarakhand
The month of Sawan has started across the country from 4th July. But, Uttarakhand has its own almanac system behind the beginning of the holy month of Sawan from 17th July. Actually Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Nepal Sawan is different from the rest of the states. The new Hindu month begins after the full moon in the north central and eastern parts of the country.
Apart from the plains of Uttarakhand, other states including Uttar Pradesh also come under this almanac system. That’s why their Sawan starts from full moon and ends around full moon. Whereas in the hilly regions of Uttarakhand, parts of Nepal and Himachal Pradesh, the months begin and end according to the solar calendar. That is, when the Sun God moves from one zodiac sign to another, then the new month begins.
The change of Sun’s zodiac sign is called Sankranti. This Sankranti always falls in the middle of the months. That’s why every month Sankranti falls around 15-16 or 17th. That’s why the month of Sawan in Uttarakhand always starts around 16th or 17th July and ends on 15th or 16th August. This year, the month of Sawan has started from 4th July i.e. Guru Purnima, whereas on 17th July Sun is leaving Gemini and entering Cancer, hence the month of Sawan is beginning in Uttarakhand with this change of Sun. Is.
Harela is a symbol of environmental protection
In fact, Harela is a symbol of happiness, prosperity, peace and environmental protection. This time the Uttarakhand government has set the theme of Harela festival as ‘water conservation and revival of water streams’. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that this festival reminds us of the coexistence of nature and humans. He has appealed to everyone to conserve water and also make other people aware in this direction. Saplings were also planted in the Chief Minister’s residence complex on the occasion of Lokparv Harela.
(youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO0XWrhYPwU)
