SARHUL : The Festival Of Tribal Rejoicing

The sal tree has great significance in the lives of the indigenous populace of the Chotanagpur plateau. It is the focal point of the festival of Sarhul which means the sal blossom festival.
Sarhul which means the sal-blossom festival is a semi-religious festival of the inhabitants of Chota Nagpur. This festival is celebrated by several tribes of the region such as the Oraons, Mundas and the Santhals, the Santhals call it Baha and celebrate it in end February-March whereas the Oraons celebrate it a little late in March-April.

The festival revolves around the sal tree. With much of the forest having been cleared for the purpose of cultivation, these tribals have spared a cluster of sal trees to serve as a place for worship. This protected area is known as the saran, the sacred grove. The festival of Sarhul is celebrated in the month of Baisakha and announces the onset of spring. No one in the community is allowed to use the sal tree, its flowers, or fruits in any manner till the Sarhul celebrations. Women cannot use the flowers to decorate themselves; the honey and the flowers cannot be eaten. It anyone breaks these rules, the village priest boycotts the house of the family for a year till the next Sarhul.

In early days, the festivities were spread over a period of three days though now in many townships the duration of the festivals has been cut down to two days and in some areas even to one, depending on the number of holidays declared by the state. In the remote village area, the celebrations still have the verve and vigour of earlier times and not much has changed.

Different tribes have a different significance attached to this festival. The tribes practicing cultivation for their livelihood such as the Oraons, celebrate this festival in the month of Baisakha (April) before the commencement of the sowing of paddy. The puja (prayer) is undertaken with the aim of securing the blessings of the gods and goddesses of nature for a good bumper crop.

Each Oraon family saves at least a handful of the rice blessed by their village priest during the previous Sarhul festival for the following sowing season. This rice is believed have special qualities after having been placed on the saran-sup which is a special winnowing basket and the seat of the ‘Goddess of the Grove’. This basket is ceremonially hung at the priest’s house. This sanctified rice (asirbadi) is mixed with a little cowdung and when the Oraon cultivator sows the paddy seed, this asirbadi is added to it, with the hope of a good yield. source

SARHUL : The Worship Of Nature

SARAHUL is the main festival of the tribal population of Chhotanagpur. The verbal meaning of SARHUL is “WORSHIP OF SAL” The word SARHUL has derived from two words SAR and HUL. ‘SAR’ means SARAI (seed of Sal tree) and HUL means WORSHIP /PRAY. In KURUKH language it is known as KHADDI. Therefore SARHUL is worship of nature in which local people worship DHARTI MATA as SITA, wife of lord RAMA. Since the local inhabitants are great admirer, devotee, and follower of lord RAMA, they have great respect for MOTHER SITA. They also worship SAL TREE (SARNA TREE) that is believed as the place of goddess SARNA, who protects the village and the community from all kinds of natural calamities and disasters.

The worship place is known as SARNA STHAL. It is a place chosen by the priest called PAHAN or BAIGA. Usually sarnasthal remains aside the village where at least one Sal tree is found. This is also known as CHALA- PACHO. CHALA means SARNA and PACHO means OLD WOMAN. Therefore it means a house of old woman .

PAHAN/BAIGA is traditional priest of tribal community. The post of priestship is inherited by birth. They may come from any caste. PAHAN is the headman of the village and every villagers respect his statements. During SARHUL he keeps fasting from a day ago. Other villagers may also keep fasting. On the day of Sarhul, Pahan worships goddess SARNA offering blood of red or brown spotted chicken or cock and HARIA, a kind of local alcoholic drink made from rice. Then he moves door to door and sprinkles water in every house brought from the SARNASTHAL. This function is considered auspicious and is believed that it will bring prosperity to them.

After religious performances villagers indulge in merry making. They perform SARHUL DANCE and sing SARHUL SONGS. Villagers in their traditional dress appear very nice. Men wear KARYA, a kind of coarse DHOTI about 24-25 hand long and 1-2 hand wide. Villagers with their dance group gather at a place. Their musical performances make everyone to dance.

Villagers keep all agricultural works aside during the festival. They begin their cultivation job on the next day of SARHUL with tilling their land. source