Aawat pauni

Wheat

Aawat pauni (Punjabi: ਆਵਤ ਪਾਓੁਣੀ) is a traditional Punjabi gathering to harvest crops.[1]

Meaning

Aawat (Punjabi: ਆਵਤ) means to "come over" or "to arrive". Before the common use of machinery, farmers harvested their land by inviting friends, relatives[2] and workers to harvest the field.[3] The guests would be fellow villagers or from distant places.

Tradition

The people participating in the Aawat pauni tradition would be given meals three times a day.[1] The group would be in the region of 20 men who would work to the tunes of the Punjab dhol (drum). The men would sing traditional Punjabi dohe which are a form of folk poetry. It also become fashionable to play songs from loud speakers.

The guests would be given traditional Punjabi food such as shakar (refined jaggery), gee (butter), karhah, kheer, sevian (Vermicelli), youghurt and milk. [1]

Reasons for Aawat pauni

Families would hold Aawat if they had large landholdings, there had been a death in the family or cattle had died. Aawat was a form of asking for help.

Types of Aawat pauni

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Alop ho riha Punjabi virsa, Harkesh Singh Kehal, Unistar Book PVT Ltd., ISBN 81-7142-869-x
  2. ↑ "Glossary" (PDF). Shodhganga,inflibnet.ac.in. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "Chapter V : Gender and wor : Analysis" (PDF). Shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in. Retrieved 18 February 2015.