‘Ghee Tyar’ celebrated with fervor in Uttarakhand
In Uttarakhand, the solstice of Bhadon month is celebrated. On this day, there was a tradition of eating ghee. For this reason, it is also called Ghee Tyar or Ghee Sankranti. This is a special festival associated with farming and animal husbandry. Along with cereals, fruits, flowers and vegetables, cow, bulls, buffalo goats and sheep, yaks and other animals in frontier areas along with milk, curd, butter, and ghee provided proper food to the masses.
Why is the “Ghee Tyar” celebrated in Uttarakhand?
In Uttarakhand, there has been a practice of celebrating every 1 day of Hindi month (month) i.e. Sankranti as a folk festival. In Uttarakhand, a festival is celebrated on every month’s solstice. Bhadrapad (Bhado) month solstice, also known as Singh Sankranti. On this day, the Sun enters “Leo sign” and hence it is also called Singh Sankranti.
Bhadrapada Sankranti is celebrated as Ghee Sankranti in Uttarakhand.
This festival is also a seasonal festival like Harela which is the festival of sowing seeds and symbolizing the arrival of rain. The same “Ghee Tyar” is a festival celebrated after the planting the sprouted crop.
This is one such folk festival associated with farming and animal husbandry. Which is when sprouts start coming in crops grown during the rainy season. So the farmers celebrate by wishing good harvest. Farmers paste the planted in crop above the main door of their house or both and cow dung.
In addition, fruits of local fruits, such as walnuts, etc. also begin to be prepared. According to the ancestors, it is believed that the fruit of walnuts is eaten only after ghee festival. For this reason, Ghee Tyar is prepared.
