Eruvaka Pournami: Telugu farmers hope for healthy monsoon, bountiful harvest
Hyderabad: Eruvaka is a special festival for farmers living in the Andhra, Rayalaseema, and Telangana regions, celebrated at the start of the monsoon in June or July. This festival marks the revival of dry lands after the hot summer, as farmers express gratitude for the life-giving rains.
Eruvaka is like a big thank you to Mother Earth (Bhudevi) for giving land a new lease of life. Farmers also apologise for any harm they may have caused while ploughing the land throughout the year.
Govardhan, a farmer in Mahbubnagar district, compares Eruvaka's significance to major festivals like Dasara and Sankranti. The festival also involves a special treatment for the animals that assist in farming, with cows, goats, and bulls being bathed, decorated, and worshipped. Eruvaka is like getting your toolbox and garden supplies ready before you start planting. Farmers clean and decorate their ploughs, seed drills, and other tools, often involve in symbolic planting as part of a prayer ceremony.
Suresh Kumar from the Gadwal district horticulture department wished all farmers, hoping for a prosperous season with ample rainfall. Eruvaka is a time for community gathering, enjoying meals made with wheat, rice, barley, and sometimes non-vegetarian dishes, depending on the region. Farmers visit their fields to pray for a bountiful harvest.
The festival underscores the importance of farmers and the need to respect the land and the animals that help grow food. It combines science and tradition, with symbolic ploughing during the hot Jyeshta month to avoid releasing harmful gases and celebrating the full moon (Pournami) coinciding with the Jyeshta Nakshatra for good luck. Farmers believe that a bright full moon on this day means there will be lots of rain and a successful harvest.
Mahendra Goud, a farmer from Mandoddi village, says that Eruvaka Pournami is a time-honoured tradition, providing renewed energy for the upcoming agricultural season. Eruvaka is more than a harvest festival; it’s a celebration of life, nature’s gifts, and the essential role of farmers.
