Badagas celebrate Devva Habba'

Ooty: “Devva Habba”, the harvest as well as thanksgiving festival of the Badagas celebrated at Appukodu village near here on Monday, brought to the fore the ancient tradition of roasting potatoes in open fireto offer it to the Almighty, besides topping it with spiritual rituals.

July, in the midst of Southwest monsoon, is when the traditional ‘Devva Habba’ festival of the Badagas, the single largest ethnic community in the Nilgiris, is celebrated. The Badagas in different villages and in different regions of the hills called “Badagar seemai” celebrate this function with all gratitude to place their thanksgiving to the God and nature and to step in to the next sowing season with confidence.

The temple at the Appukodu village on Monday witnessed village heads from 33 Badaga hamlets in Mekunaadu seemai gathered for the traditional rituals and prayers connected with the harvest festival. Villagers from different villages too thronged the temple for the festival day.

The highlight of the tradition is the villagers lit fire in the open yard in the temple premises and roast the newly harvested potatoes in the flames. Once the potatoes are baked to perfection, they offered it to the Almighty as a gesture of thanksgiving and placing their gratitude for the good harvest.

B.S.Ramamurthi, village head at Appukodu said that traditionally this harvest festival is celebrated with all gaiety and pomp usually in late July.  “In ancient times our ancestors used to do the puja with hill grown wheat and little millet.  Since, potato cultivation is a major agriculture crop among the Badagas in this region, now-a-days we offer potato to the God as thanksgiving.

In Nilgiris the first sowing season begins in February-March and harvest is generally done in July,” he said, adding, the villagers also pray for good rains and tidings through agriculture for all round development and peace.