Why rural women perform the morning ritual of beating winnowing fans after Diwali

A traditional morning ritual involving a winnowing fan and a stick is practiced in villages the day after Diwali to drive away poverty and invite prosperity. Women take the used items outside and leave them behind before returning home to clean.

On the morning immediately following the grand festival of Diwali, a distinctive rural tradition is observed across various villages involving the beating of winnowing fans. During the early hours, around three in the morning, elderly women of the household wake up and take an old bamboo winnowing fan, striking it repeatedly with a stick or a ladle. Even today, numerous women in rural areas continue to uphold this age-old custom passed down through generations.

Ritualistic journey across every corner of the house
Throughout this practice, women traverse every single part of their homes while rhythmically beating the winnowing fan. The fan is struck near the courtyard, inside the rooms, and right beside the main entrance doors. Following this indoor movement, the women step outside and walk all the way to the main intersection of the neighborhood. According to local beliefs, performing this ritual effectively drives away poverty, hardship, and troubles from the household.

Chanting traditional words for prosperity
While striking the winnowing fan, the women recite a specific traditional phrase 'Eesar aavai, daliddar jaay'. This translates to a wish for the arrival of divinity, wealth, and prosperity within the home, while poverty and adversity depart permanently. These spoken words form an essential and defining component of the entire custom, carrying deep cultural significance.

Leaving the fan and stick behind permanently
Once the ritual concludes, the women never bring the utilized winnowing fan and stick back inside their residences. Instead, these items are abandoned at an orchard, near a pond, a water body, or right at the village crossroads. The underlying belief is that just as the fan and stick are discarded outside, the poverty and misfortunes of the home are similarly cast away for good.

Asha Devi, a resident falling under the jurisdiction of the Azimnagar police station area in Rampur, states that this custom has been practiced since the time of her ancestors. Earlier, the elderly women of the family performed it, and now she too carries forward this tradition every single year. Across many rural households, women still strictly observe this practice to this day.

Concluding with cleaning and fresh beginnings
After leaving the winnowing fan and stick outdoors, the women re-enter their homes. Immediately afterwards, they commence sweeping, mopping, and overall cleaning tasks. In rural communities, this entire ritual is deeply associated with banishing evil, poverty, and negativity from the residence while praying for peace, harmony, and happiness throughout the coming year.

Why this happened
This ancient practice forms an essential part of cultural beliefs and folk traditions that have persisted through generations in rural society. The primary underlying reasons stem from traditional and psychological desires to expel negative energy and financial scarcity from households.

• Cultural Heritage: This custom serves as a medium to keep ancient rituals and folklore alive across generations.
• Psychological Impact: Completing such morning rituals reinforces the community's deep-rooted belief in fostering positivity and mental peace within the home.

Questions & Answers

1. When is the winnowing fan beating tradition performed?
This tradition is performed early in the morning on the very next day after grand Diwali.

2. What phrase do women chant while beating the fan?
Women chant the traditional phrase 'Eesar aavai, daliddar jaay' while striking the fan.

3. What happens to the winnowing fan and stick after the ritual?
The used fan and stick are never brought back home and are instead left at an orchard, pond, or crossroads.

4. What is the primary belief behind this custom?
It is believed that this action drives away poverty, troubles, and negativity from the house while inviting prosperity.

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