Bathukamma : A Traditional Festival Celebrated With Happy In Telangana
Bathukamma : A nine-day festival celebrated in the Ashvayuja month, usually falling in October, in the state of Telangana, India. It is a festival that is closely associated with water and is celebrated predominantly by women. The festival marks the culmination of the monsoon season and the onset of the harvest season.
During Bathukamma, women create beautiful flower stacks or arrangements that resemble a cone or dome shape. The arrangements are made using various flowers like tangedu, gunugu, banthi, chemanti, and gunneru. These flowers are carefully arranged using threads and gourd leaves on a tambalam or tabu, which serves as the base. The flowers are stacked row by row, with alternating rows of tangedu and gunugu flowers. The final arrangement is adorned with saffron, turmeric, betel leaves, and incense sticks.
The festival is associated with water in several ways. The flowers used in the arrangements, such as tangedu, gunugu, turmeric, and betel leaves, have purifying properties and are believed to purify the pond water. After the festival, the flower arrangements are immersed in ponds, which not only signifies the end of the festival but also helps fertilize the pond soil. The soil from the pond is later used by farmers in their fields, making them fertile for the upcoming agricultural season.
Bathukamma As Community Festival
Bathukamma is celebrated as a community festival, with women singing and dancing around the flower arrangements. They visit each other’s homes, play music, and then proceed to the village temple. On the final day, known as Maharnavami, the festival is called Saddula Bathukamma, and women gather at the village pond to immerse in the flower arrangements. They also carry a variety of traditional sweets and dishes called “saddus” as offerings during the festival.
The festival of Bathukamma showcases the relationship between humans and nature, as it is celebrated during a time when the region is abundant with water, greenery, and the upcoming harvest season. It is a festival deeply rooted in Telugu traditions and is celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy by the people of Telangana.
Also Read : https://telugutraditions.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1772&action=edit