A Celebration of Greenery, Agriculture, Livestock and the State’s Rich Folk Traditions
Published on: August 12, 2026
By: Dhananjay Rathore, Joint Director Public Relations
Location: Raipur, India
Chhattisgarhi culture has a rich tradition of folk festivals that reflect deep respect for nature, agriculture and animals. Among these festivals, Hareli Tihar is considered the first and one of the most prominent celebrations. Observed on the Amavasya of the month of Shravan (Hariyali Amavasya), the festival symbolises Chhattisgarh’s folk life, agricultural traditions and love for the environment.
The identity of Chhattisgarh lies not only in its natural beauty but also in its rich folk culture and traditions.
Folk life in Chhattisgarh is marked by a large number of festivals. Almost every month brings a festival that fills the collective consciousness of the people with its distinctive colours. These festivals provide occasions for happiness and celebration while also encouraging traditional games and entertainment.
The greenery of nature is deeply integrated into the folk life of Chhattisgarh. Whether it is Hareli, Bhojli, Jwara or Basant Panchami, the beauty and splendour of nature are reflected in these festivals. This natural beauty carries the joy and enthusiasm associated with different stages of life.
Perhaps the greenery associated with Hareli creates an even stronger sense of natural abundance in our traditions, values and folk life. May this greenery of Hareli spread and flourish in everyone’s life. It is also a wish that, beyond the dazzling attraction of materialism, our traditional games continue to remain alive so that rural communities connected with the soil remain physically and mentally strong.
May the earthy fragrance of the soil continue to find expression through our folk songs, and may the uninterrupted stream of our traditional sporting culture continue to flow.
1. Meaning and Significance of Hareli
The word ‘Hareli’ is derived from ‘Hariyali’, meaning greenery. During the month of Shravan, when crops and fields begin to flourish with lush greenery, farmers celebrate this festival with enthusiasm.
Hareli is considered the first major festival of Chhattisgarh, marking the beginning of the state’s series of prominent folk festivals.
2. Worship of Agricultural Implements and Livestock
Hareli is primarily a day for farmers to express gratitude towards agriculture and the tools associated with farming.
Worship of Agricultural Implements
The roots of Hareli are deeply connected with the agricultural heritage of Chhattisgarh. The festival is not merely a celebration but also represents a spiritual offering and an expression of gratitude towards nature, rain and agricultural work.
After completing their agricultural activities, farmers clean their implements, including the plough, spade, hoe, kudali, kumhdi, bindhna, basula, hammer, saw, asiya, paisul, knife and khurpi.
The cleaned implements are placed on a clean earthen or murmi platform and decorated. Farmers and their families place puja materials before them, apply traditional designs with rice flour and offer chandan, flowers, incense, lamps and cheela roti, along with a coconut.
They pray with devotion, expressing gratitude to the plough, regarded as a manifestation of Balram, for its role in preparing and serving the land and helping farmers carry out agricultural activities. With sowing, cultivation and transplantation completed, greenery spreads across the surroundings. Farmers express gratitude for this and request their agricultural tools to rest after their work, seeking forgiveness for the hardships they have endured and praying for continued blessings.
The gedi is also worshipped, with prayers for strength and protection of the feet and body.
Honouring Livestock
Livestock plays an important role in the agricultural economy. Farmers in India traditionally practise mixed farming, combining crops and livestock.
In Chhattisgarh, where a large number of people depend on agriculture for their livelihood, bullocks remain an important part of farming. Particularly for marginal and small farmers, bullocks play a significant role in ploughing, transportation and the movement of agricultural produce and inputs.
Cows and bullocks, regarded as true companions of farmers, receive special care during Hareli. They are bathed, worshipped and offered ‘gahuanta’, a nutritious mixture made from flour, salt and herbs, with the traditional belief that it helps protect them from diseases.
Medicinal preparations made from herbs are also taken to the gauthan and administered to animals along with leaves of arandi and khamhar, salt and balls of rice or wheat.
Arandi and khamhar leaves are traditionally regarded as medicinal and are believed to help prevent air-borne ailments. Salt acts as a stimulant, while rice or wheat helps make the traditional preparation more effective. The practice is regarded as a traditional form of preventive care for livestock.
3. Traditions and Customs
The Joy of Gedi Riding
Gedi holds special significance during Hareli. It is traditionally made by firmly tying thick bamboo poles and bamboo footholds through a particular method.
References to gedi can also be found in traditional narratives. Balram and Krishna are said to have played on gedis with their companions, and references to such activities are found in Krishna Leela traditions.
Various traditional games have been organised during Hareli from ancient times to the present, including gedi races, water-carrying games, standing on one leg and hopping on one leg.
Originally, the gedi is believed to have served as a means of moving through muddy and water-filled paths during the rainy season. Over time, it became an entertaining traditional sport.
Traditional Competitions
Hareli is also marked by various competitions in villages and towns.
A coconut-throwing competition is organised at several places. After morning worship, groups of young people gather at village squares and participate in the competition. The contests between winners and losers may continue until late at night.
Gedi races are organised across villages. Traditional games such as kho-kho, fugdi, billas, atti-patti and danda panchranga have also been part of Hareli celebrations.
Whether at the village gauthan, school grounds, roads outside villages or public gathering points, people participate in the celebrations dressed in colourful traditional attire.
Traditional Practices for Protection
According to local beliefs, neem leaves are tied to the main entrances of houses on Hareli to protect villages from the evil eye and diseases.
Blacksmiths traditionally place neem branches and iron nails on the doorframes of houses. Local belief holds that this practice protects homes from negative forces and illnesses.
The practice is also associated with the known medicinal properties of neem and its traditional role in rural health practices.
Traditional Dishes of Hareli
A variety of traditional Chhattisgarhi dishes are prepared and distributed during Hareli.
These include gud cheela, airsa, chausela and bobra, along with gulgula bhajiya, gudha cheela, sohori, bada, thethri, khurmi and bobra.
These traditional preparations are offered to agricultural implements and livestock as part of the festival rituals. Hareli is also an occasion to enjoy the rich culinary traditions of Chhattisgarh.
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4. Cultural and Social Message
Hareli Tihar is not merely a religious or folk ritual. It represents the inseparable relationship between human beings and nature.
The festival teaches that it is our responsibility to express gratitude towards nature and livestock, which provide us with life and food.
In the present era, the Chhattisgarh Government has taken steps to preserve this folk-cultural heritage by declaring a public holiday on Hareli and promoting traditional games such as gedi racing under the ‘Chhattisgarhiya Kranti’ initiative.
Hareli therefore represents much more than the arrival of greenery. It brings together agriculture, nature, livestock, traditional games, folk cuisine and community life, reflecting the deep cultural roots of Chhattisgarh.
May the greenery of Hareli continue to flourish in our traditions, our values and our lives.
