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{{Short description|Agricultural festival of Maharashtra}}
{{Infobox festival|name=Pola
|country=India
|participants=Bulls, farmers and their families.
|frequency=Yearly
|area=Rural [[Maharashtra]]
|date=September
|location=Maharashtra
|activity=Washing of bulls, colour their horns, change old ropes tie new one, tie new bells, decorate them, feeding them with sweets and other food they usually like
|status=Active
|members=Family of farmers
}}
[[File:Pola in Chinawal 9.jpg|thumb|Pola in Chinawal]]
'''Pola''' is a thanksgiving festival celebrated by farmers in [[Maharashtra]], to acknowledge the importance of bulls and oxen, who are a crucial part of agriculture and farming activities. It falls on the day of the ''Pithori [[Amavasya]]'' (the new moon day) in the month of [[Shraavana]] (usually in August).<ref>{{cite book
| title = Maharashtra State Gazetteers: Kolhapur District (Volume 1)
| publisher = Directorate of Govt. Print., Stationery and Publications, Maharashtra State
| year = 1976
| page = 280
}}</ref> During Pola, farmers don't work their bulls in the farmland, and the day is a school holiday in the rural parts of Maharashtra.<ref name="Tinkhede" >{{Cite news|last=Tinkhede|first=Shreya|url=https://www.timesofindia.com/city/nagpur/pola-festivities-endure-even-in-urban-milieu/articleshow/70900362.cms|title=Pola festivities endure even in urban milieu|date=30 August 2019|work=Times Of India|access-date=28 April 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

The festival is found among Marathas in central and eastern Maharashtra.<ref>{{cite book|author=Edward Balfour|title=The Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia|url=https://archive.org/details/cyclopdiaindiaa09balfgoog|year=1885|publisher=B. Quaritch|page=[https://archive.org/details/cyclopdiaindiaa09balfgoog/page/n249 241]}}</ref> A similar festival is observed by Farmers in other parts of India, and is called ''Mattu Pongal'' in south and ''Godhan'' in north and west India.<ref>{{cite book|author=Usha Sharma|title=Festivals In Indian Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z6OYRUEAF7oC&pg=PA77|year=2008|publisher=Mittal Publications|isbn=978-81-8324-113-7|page=77}}</ref>

== Celebrations ==
In preparation for the festival, bulls are washed and massaged with oils. They are decorated with shawls, bells, and flowers, their horns are coloured, and they get new reins and ropes. The decorated bulls and oxen are walked in procession to the village field accompanied by music and dancing. The first bullock to go out is an old bullock with a wooden frame (called ''makhar'') tied on its horns. This bullock is made to break a ''toran'', a rope of mango leaves stretched between two posts, and is followed by all the other cattle in the village.<ref name="Tinkhede" />

Homes in the village are decorated with [[rangoli]]s and ''toran'' on top of doors. ''[[Puja thali]]s'' with [[Kumkuma|kumkum]], water, and sweets are prepared, and when the cattle is returned from the procession they are formally greeted by family members, with an earthen lamp with [[ghee]] for ''[[Puja (Hinduism)|puja]] and [[aarti]]''.<ref name="Tinkhede" />

On the following day, children decorate wooden bulls with beads and flowers.<ref name="Tinkhede" />

[[File:Ornaments which are used in India to decorate livestocks of cattle DSCF6078.JPG|thumb|right|Ornaments for decorating cattle during ''pola''.]]
== References ==
{{commons category|Pola festival}}
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Festivals in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Animal worship]]
[[Category:festivals in India]]
[[Category:Marathi culture]]

Pola (festival) - Revision history

2401:4900:5294:72BC:14D3:C4FF:FE5A:88BD: Added more info