Harela is usually a Kumaoni festival to mark the coming of the rainy season. The celebration falls on the month of chiatra and month of Shravan. On the first day of the navaratris in the month of Chaitra girls fill a pot with soil and then mix seeds of wheat and barley together and sow in that pot and keep inside the room. This is supposed to be done either by head of the family or any family priest.

However, the more popular Harela is the one that is celebrated in the month of Shravan to commemorate the wedding of Lord Shiva and Parvati (parti or parvati pooja) and to welcome the rainy season and the new harvest. On this day people make clay statues of Gauri, Shiva and Ganesh and then worship them. People put the leaves of freshly cut Harela on their heads or behind ears and also send harela to their relatives and friends as well.

The grains germinate symbolize the future harvest. Leaves germinate are light green or yellow in color and called Harela. Harela gets cut on the tenth day and then people put these leaves on their heads and behind their ears. Not only this but there is a way to put these leaves, first these leaves gets touch at the feet then shoulder and then finally reside behind ears or on head.

Like any other festival this too has its own significance, one significance of Harela lies in the fact that it provides an opportunity to the cultivator to test the qualities or defects of the seeds they have in their store. some people believe another significance is that the festival is the occasion to give monetary allowances to the young girls of the family.

During the same month of Chaitra (March-April) brothers send presents or gifts to their sisters and these gifts are called Bhitauli. Thus harela celebrated twice while bhitauli celebrated once in the month of chaitra.

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