Purushwadi: The village that follows a Halloween-like custom on Diwali

Many places in India follow offbeat customs on Diwali. In Goa, Narakasura is burnt in effigy on Diwali while Chhattisgarh’s Gond tribe marries King Narayan to rice harvest in a custom called Devari or Diyari.

The Purushwadi village in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra also has its unique traditions. Located on the top of a hill in the Western Ghats, the village is home to the Mahadeo Koli tribe.

Diwali here is unique as villagers light a bonfire and cook food together. Their food is rustic, comprising mostly millet chapattis, called bhakari, local vegetables, thecha, lentils and rice.

But the star attractions are children, who sing traditional songs in Marathi and go from house to house with their earthen lamps and grass. The lamps are mounted on a bundle of sticks to protect hands from heat. 

When families hear the songs outside their door, they come out and pour some oil into the oil lamps.  They also cut a little bit of grass carried by children, symbolising the continuation of light and cutting down of what no longer serves any good.

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The custom is similar to Halloween, celebrated on October 31. On Halloween too, children go to homes to trick-or-treat, a tradition where they dress up in costumes and ask for treats at the doors of neighbours and friends. They usually say "Trick or treat!" and receive sweets in return.

The Mahadeo Koli tribe is endogamous, sharing common religious customs and practices and having no hierarchical position among themselves. 

This is precisely why all festivals, including Diwali, are celebrated together irrespective of social or financial condition. The traditional rituals signify familial bonds and reinforce camaraderie between villagers.

Nestled between the Kurkundi and Mula rivers, the village is ruled by tribal goddess Zakhubai, who protects Purushwadi and four other nearby villages. Purushwadi has two temples – one dedicated to Zakhubai and the other to Lord Hanuman.

Purushwadi was previously called Pur-unch-wadi, meaning ‘the village atop the mountains’.

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The Fireflies’ Festival

Being in the biodiversity hotspot of Western Ghats, Purushwadi is also home to fireflies that light up the night sky during the pre-monsoon season, mostly from the third week of May to the fourth week of June.

Tourists can see millions of fireflies in the area during the Annual Fireflies Festival organised by the NGO Grassroutes.

The festival includes activities like camping, night walks, and night trails, and opportunities to interact with the villagers and learn about local cuisine.

The Purushwadi Fireflies Festival promotes eco-tourism and raises awareness about the importance of environmental conservation. Visitors can experience traditional village life in the homestays at Purushwadi. The village has participated in conservation efforts, including recycling sewage for trees, creating a People's Biodiversity Register, and reviving rock pools for wildlife drinking.

(US Anu is a Madurai-based writer. She specialises in stories around human interest, environment and art and culture.)

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