India is a diverse country and each state celebrates a number of festivals in accordance with the regions. The festival is always a matter of enjoyment, a collection of beautiful memories with everyone to restore in our heart for forever. Uttarakhand is a beautiful land depicting various traditions and festivals and people have belief, faith and the significant story behind the celebration of a specific festival.
Today we are informing you about the Ghughutiya Festival, which is solemnized in the Kumaon region of the Uttarakhand on the eve of Makar Sankranti. Though Hindus can be seen flying kites, donating khichadi ( the mixture of cooked rice and lentils) and taking holy dips in the sacred river to wash away their sins on Makar Sakranti as it marks the beginning of the auspicious period for Hindus. While in Kumaon, Ghughutiya festival is celebrated on this day.
Ghughutiya festival which is also known as “kale kauva” called black crow, celebrated in Kumaon with great enthusiasm. Ghughutiya is celebrated by preparing the dough with the mixture of wheat flour and jaggery or sugar adding ghee and milk according to one’s capacity. The prepared sweetened dough then has given various shapes like of sword, shield, knives, drum, flowers, fruits, circles and deep fried in ghee or oil till their color turns golden brown.
These shapes named Ghughute, woven into garlands with a thread which is worn by young children. Next day, when the sun rises, young children go to their terrace or roof tops to offer delicacies of garland to kale kauva (they are known as their ancestors) as it is especially set for black crows. They enchant “Kale kauva kale, ghughuti mala khale” (O black crow, eat this garland made of ghughute) to seek blessings with each offering. Rest left out Ghughute then eaten by children through out the day.
There is also a fascinating anecdote behind offering Ghughute to kale kauva. Once there was a king who had a minister named Ghughutiya. The minister was planning to murder the king and wanted to snatch his entire kingdom but the King got to know about the ill intentions of the minister by a crow (kauva) giving him the boon of life. The king then punished wicked minister and instructed his people of the kingdom to prepare sweet dishes for the crow to show regard to the service he had done to the king.
Since then the festival of Ghughutiya is celebrated in Kumaon region with its unique style of celebration by preparing Ghughute for crow to seek blessings with each offering.