Probably and absolutely India is the one and only country in the world to celebrate festivals in respect of the animals. One of the most popular and widely celebrated festivals to pay respect to the animals in rural regions of India is ‘Pola’. On the day of Pola, farmers pay respect to their bullocks.

Today, even though some parts of India use mechanical equipments for farming, in many places bullocks are used for farming. Due to that farmers pay their respect to bullocks in a celebrated manner. Pola is also called as ‘Bail Pola’.

When is Pola?
Pola is celebrated on the day of Pithori Amavasya (new moon day) in the month of ‘Shravan’, usually falls in August. In 2008, Pola falls on August 30th, Saturday.

Where Pola is Celebrated?
Pola is celebrated throughout the state of Maharashtra and rural places in rest of India. It is widely celebrated in the rural areas of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and other agricultural states.

How Pola is celebrated?
Pola is celebrated in a very pleasant atmosphere of villages. Farmers remove ‘Vesan’ (rope) from their bull’s nostrils on the previous day of Pola. They apply turmeric paste and ground nut oil on their bull’s shoulder. They give hot water bath to the bull and give ‘Khichadi’ or ‘Bajari’ to eat.

On the day of the festival, the bull is taken to the nearest pond, lake or river and given a thorough bath. Thereafter, the farmers paint their bull’s horns and make them attractive with covering them with colorful shawls and towels, and putting various ornaments over them. The bulls are adorned with flower garlands. After decoration, farmer starts worshiping the bull.

The farmers prepare a special sweet recipe called ‘Puran Poli’ on the day of Pola.

After the day of Pola, farmers begin the farming activities such as ploughing and sowing.

Fairs and Games on Pola:
The farmers organize fairs during Pola in some parts of India. They play the Indian instruments like drums, lezims, bugles, etc. They enjoy every moment of the day with singing and dancing. In some places, they perform stage shows and plays depicting the history and significance of Pola and significance of bull in agriculture.

They conduct games such as Volleyball, Kho-kho, Kabaddi, Wrestling, etc. In some urban areas, people worship the wooden or earthen statues of bulls.

Let us celebrate Pola with peace and prosperity.