Chhattisgarh Festival : The Festival of worship Bullocks - Pola

Pola is a cultural festival of Chhattisgarh which is celebrated by the farmers. It is a festival associated with farming. On Pola, the farmers decorate their bulls, worship them and thank them for their support in farming. It occurs after the monsoon sowing and field works Pola falls on the day of the Pithori Amavasya (the new moon day) in the month of Bhadrapad (Bhado usually in August - September).

Rituals 

It is believed that bulls help farmers in the work of the whole year, due to this they decorate the bulls and worship them. On the night before Pola festival, the womb worship is done. It is believed that on this day, food maids (Anna Mata) gave birth, that is, they feed the milk in paddy plants. That is why nobody is allowed to go to the fields on the day of Pola.

On the day of Pola, the bulls are first given a bath, and then decorated with ornaments and shawls. Their horns are painted, and their necks are adorned with garlands of flowers. The bulls do not work that day, and they are part of procession where farmers celebrate the crop season.

Children on this day run clay bullocks. The bull race is organized in the rural area. Also many competitions are organized.