Farmers’ community celebrates Bhumi Hunnime with traditional grandeur

SHIVAMOGGA: The agricultural community in the Malnad areas of the district celebrated ‘Bhumi Hunnime’ in all traditional grandeur on Saturday.

Families heading to their fields with food prepared at their homes.

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.

The prepared food is spread across the field and also offered to crows.

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.