Question

The period of crop harvesting is celebrated with great joy and happiness in all parts of India. Special festivals are associated with the harvest season. Which among the following group of festivals is associated with harvest season?
(A) Pongal,Holi, Diwali, Nabanna
(B) Diwali, Christmas, Eid, Pongal
(C) Pongal, Eid, Holi, Nabanna
(D) Pongal, Baishakhi, Eid, Nabanna

Answer 1

Hint: Harvest festivals are a way of thanking the nature for the bounty it offers in the form of new crops. Harvest festivals are not just about celebrating the ripe crops but also an important astronomical change going on in the solar system.

Complete Answer:
Harvest festivals are believed to be the oldest forms of festivals around the world. For a country largely dependent on agriculture, harvest becomes one of the most important events across the nation.

1) Pongal - Celebrated with a lot of joy in southern parts of India, Pongal is held for four days in January to honour mother nature. The first day is spent worshipping the God of Rain.
2) Baishakhi - In the Hindu tradition, Baisakhi marks the new year based on the Vikram Samvat calendar and is celebrated on 13th of April every year. It is a way to thank the god for a good harvest the past winter and hopes to have fruitful crops in the coming season.
3) Nabanna - Also called Nuakhai in West Bengal, Nabanna is celebrated in August, primarily as a thanksgiving for prosperity and to honour the hard work that farmers put in to keep the country full and happy.
4) Eid- This is the harvest day, when all the good work in the service of Allah is rewarded and all faithful believers reap the fruit of their good deed.

So, the correct answer is option (D) i.e., Pongal, Baishakhi, Eid, Nabanna.

Note: A harvest festival marks that time of the year when all the crops that had been sowed in and cared for round the clock have been harvested. Lohri, Baisakhi, Nabanna​, Onam, Pongal, Eid are some of them.