It was celebration time for farmers. Casting aside their differences and cutting across caste and communal lines, the entire farming community celebrated Ellu Amavasya, on the new moon day of the Pushya month of the Hindu calendar, to pay their obeisance to Mother Earth.
Braving the cold, the farmers with their family and friends trooped to their fields and offered prayers to the standing crops, particularly jowar. They spent the entire day in the fields, sharing the food with each other. People in cities and towns, who do not have any agriculture land of their own, made a beeline to the parks and gardens.
Ellu Amavasya is known for its special food preparations. Special dishes of green vegetables and pulses are prepared. These food items are first offered to the standing crops during the pooja and later shared with family and friends. The special dishes prepared on the occasion included ‘Kadabu’, ‘Bajje’, ‘Bartha’, ‘Holige’. Ellu Amavasya was celebrated with tradition gaiety in Yadgir district as well.
