CUCUMBERS IN THE FIRE: Yesterday Ganesh Chaturthi was also Khatarua, a unique rural festival in our Kumaon 

“Khatarua” is celeberated in September (first day of Hindu month of Ashwin). Initially, celebrated to display supremacy of one dynasty over the other, the festival was greatly toned down as a gesture and effort to foster greater kinship between people of Uttarakhand. 

In a larger context, the festival also marks the start of autumn. Bonfires are lit in the evening, children dance around it and cucumbers are offered to the fire - signifying destruction of all evil influence. It is also said that due to paucity of food in the war-torn region, the victorious Kumaouni soldiers celebrated by sharing cucumbers. Children while dancing around the bonfire chant “ Chal Khatarua dhaare dhaar; Gau ki jeet khataruey kee haar”

Khatarua means: animal disease - ref: http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/dehradun/5884-unique-rural-festival-khatarua-to-be-celebrated-today.html