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9 min
02/04/2026
Every region of India celebrates its harvest festivals with its own set of customs, cuisine, and rituals, offering a vibrant reflection of the country’s agricultural roots. Festivals like Lohri in Punjab and Vishu in Kerala celebrate fresh beginnings and abundance. Read on to explore the history, customs, and regional variations of these festivals, as well as the thoughtful preparation that makes them truly memorable.
In India, people participate in harvest festivities with enthusiasm and a strong sense of tradition. Consider the Vishu festival, where families awaken to the Vishukkani, a meticulously arranged display of grains, fresh produce, and golden kanikkonna flowers. A combination of tradition, faith, and purpose, this first glimpse is said to set the tone for the year ahead.
Then, there is a complete change of atmosphere as you move north to Punjab during Lohri. Communities come together, bonfires blaze, and the harvest is celebrated with warmth. What unites both these festivities is the harvest itself and the emotions associated with it.
One thing remains true everywhere: food is never just food. Each grain of rice and every jaggery laddoo represent the labour invested in the land and the seasons that have passed.
Check out the list of harvest festivals celebrated across India.
Vishu festival is the beginning of the Malayali New Year and the sun's astrological journey into the first house. Its core idea is "good beginnings," and it represents the arrival of spring as a whole. It is said that whatever one sees first on this fortunate morning determines their fortunes for the next year.
This festival revolves around arranging the Vishu Kani (a display of golden fruits, grains, and flowers), giving money to youngsters, and setting off firecrackers.
Food & Feasting:
Thoran (stir-fried vegetables)
Payasam (rice pudding with jaggery)
Mambazha Pulissery (a tangy, ripe mango and yoghurt curry)
Vishu Kanji (salted porridge)
Vishu Katta (sweet rice cake)
Ugadi marks the beginning of the new harvest season and is also known as the Telugu and Kannada New Year. The six flavours of the festival’s core dish, Ugadi Pachadi, sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and spicy, represent the many aspects of life.
Food & Feasting:
Ugadi Pachadi
Bobbatlu (sweet stuffed flatbreads)
Pulihora (tamarind rice)
Pongal is a four-day celebration of gratitude that honours both the Sun God Surya and the domesticated cattle that provide the food for the harvest. Literally meaning "to boil over," the name "Pongal" stands for the household's overflowing wealth and riches.
Traditions include filling fresh clay pots to the season's first rice, painting animals, and making elaborate "Kolam" (rangoli) designs out of rice flour.
Food & Feasting:
Sakkarai pongal (sweet rice with jaggery and ghee)
Ven pongal (savory rice with spices)
Sugarcane and coconut
Medhu Vada and coconut chutney
Gudi Padwa marks the vibrant celebration of the Maharashtrian New Year, aligning perfectly with the harvest season. Families proudly display a gudi, a beautifully decorated flag, outside their homes, embellished with vibrant neem leaves, fresh flowers, and a garland.
Food & Feasting:
Puran poli (sweet lentil flatbread)
Shrikhand (sweetened yogurt dessert)
Til-Gul Laddu (sesame and jaggery balls)
This festival, also celebrated as Magh Bihu, signifies the conclusion of the harvest season in the Brahmaputra Valley. After the hard labour of collecting grain is done, it is time to feast and come together as a community.
One of the customs involves temporary bamboo structures, known as “Mejis”, which are set ablaze with a prayer to the God of Fire.
Food & Feasting:
Pitha (stuffed rice cakes)
Doi chira (flattened rice with curd and jaggery)
Laru (coconut and sesame balls)
Many indigenous communities in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha celebrate Sarhul, a major harvest festival. It heralds the arrival of spring and honours the Sal tree as a symbol of rebirth, fertility, and the connection between humans and the natural world. Deeply spiritual, the celebration connects agricultural cycles with tribal identity.
Food & Feasting:
Handia (rice beer)
Mahua sweets
Meat curries and local tribal delicacies
A celebration of thankfulness for winter crops and a symbol of fresh beginnings, Makar Sankranti is celebrated when the sun enters Capricorn. Marking the day includes customs such as kite flying, holy dips in rivers, and acts of generosity.
Food & Feasting:
Tilgul (sesame-jaggery sweets) in Maharashtra
Pitha (rice cakes) in Assam
Chikki, laddoos, and sweetened rice
The Nuakhai festival is a time to celebrate the arrival of the fresh rice harvest and pay homage to Goddess Samaleswari. The celebration has great spiritual and cultural importance, serving as a time to focus on the close relationship between people and their agricultural practices.
Food & Feasting:
Rice-based dishes like Manda pitha
Ambil (tangy vegetable curry)
Kakara Pitha (sweet deep-fried cake)
Pohela or Poila Boishakh is the Bengali New Year celebrated in West Bengal. It is a time of rejuvenation of spirit and cultural pride that occurs with harvest time. The Bengali calendar year begins with this celebration, which has strong ties to agricultural cycles.
It is customary to visit temples, shop for new clothing, and clean one's house. To welcome in good fortune, business owners perform ceremonies when they open fresh books of accounts (Haal Khata).
Food & Feasting:
Bhuna Khichuri (spiced rice-lentil dish)
Mishti doi (sweetened yoghurt)
Sandesh and rasgulla (iconic Bengali sweets)
Payesh (rice pudding)
Harvest festivals are more than just a time to celebrate the changing of the seasons; they are important markers of cultural identity. From the vibrant festivities of Vishu in Kerala to kite flying during Makar Sankranti and the lively dance celebrations of Lohri in Punjab, these occasions beautifully highlight the profound bond between climate, food, and community. The next time you celebrate a harvest festival, take a moment to appreciate the history, traditions, and spirit intertwined with each meal.
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