SHIVAMOGGA: The agricultural community in the Malnad areas of the district celebrated ‘Bhumi Hunnime’ in all traditional grandeur on Saturday.
After the Navaratri celebration, a special ritual known as ‘Bhumi Hunnime’ is performed to honour Mother Earth. Farmers believe that the ceremony is a baby shower for Mother Earth who is pregnant. They believe that she is bountiful during the harvest season.
A day prior to this, families prepare a variety of dishes with vegetables brought from the farm. The family then prays, performs puja and offers food to the soil. Offerings are also kept for crows, considered a link to ancestors. After the religious ceremonies, the entire family partakes in food at the farm.
The practice is mostly prevalent among the tribal communities in the Malnad region.
