Why Children Feed the Crows on Ghughutiya

A Chand king of Kumaon had no child for many years. He and his queen prayed at Bagnath in Bageshwar, and at last a son was born. The queen loved to call him 'Ghughuti', after the soft-cooing dove, and the boy wore a necklace of little bells he loved to jingle.

When the boy was cross, the queen would tease, 'Kale kale, come take Ghughuti's necklace!' — and crows would come. The prince grew fond of them and fed them every day.

The king's minister, hoping to seize the throne, kidnapped the boy and carried him into the forest. But the crows saw it all. One flew down and snatched the bell-necklace from the boy's neck, and the whole flock flew cawing to the palace.

The king followed the crows into the forest, found his son, and punished the minister. In gratitude, the queen made sweets shaped like the necklace and fed them to the crows.

So every Makar Sankranti, Kumaoni children wear garlands of ghughute and call out at dawn: 'Kale kale, ghughuti mala khale!' — come, crow, eat the ghughuti garland!