Significance
The Sarhul Festival is celebrated with the Sal Tree which offers
it shelter, firewood and weather protection. The belief is this tree and so
offerings are given at the base of some selected sal trees which may be found
in the jungle or the periphery of the village. Mother Nature (the Sanskrit term
being "Prachriti") lives on that tree. These salt trees are known as
"jaher," which means a holy forest.
In mid-April this celebration will take place, with winter gone
and spring. The first fruit, vegetables, and even paddy is offered to the gods,
and the tribe members will only enjoy these items after the offering ritual. The
most important part of this celebration is the deity's appeasement.
Though, like many
festivals, the Sarhul concludes with music and dancing, it does so only after
the ceremony is done and the priest (known locally as "Pahan") has
completed all of the rites. The importance of the Sarhul Festival may be seen
in the regimented manner in which people gather to worship the deity, which is
the festival's major goal. Following the event, seeds are planted in the hopes
of a good harvest from Mother Nature.
Deity
It is a worship of the village deity who is considered to be the
protector of the tribes.
Ritual (pooja, vrat etc.)
This celebration consists of the priest (‘Pahan') performing
several rites under the sacred grove of Sal Trees, aided by the priest's helper
(‘Panbhara'). According to legend, Mahadeo or Lord Dharmesh is the universe's
controller, and he is appeased by providing sacrifices of white-colored animals
and birds such as white goats and white fowls.
The major ceremony begins with the deity's feet being washed as a
welcome gesture. The priest's wife performs this deed, and when the deity has
been greeted, the main worship rite begins. Apart from the white animals and
fowls, the offerings also include milk and some cotton fabric.The contributions
by the Sal Trees flowers were afterwards brought into the dwellings of the
tribes and maintained for the family in their homes as a token of good luck.
The priest also places a certain amount of grain on the head of the chosen hen.
It indicates good and appropriate rainfall when the hen consumes the grain if
they stumble on the ground. If otherwise, it will be a tragedy if the hen goes
away without food.
The discipline in which the
members of the tribe participate, complete the celebration by chanting, dancing
and drinking from processing rice with other additions, is the fundamental
component.
Celebrations
Many tribes of Jharkhand, especially the Munda, Oraon and Ho
tribes, celebrate Sarhul. While the reverence of nature is an essential part of
the event, various cultural programmes are also celebrated.
The "Baa Porob," the festival of flowers and the prayer
of the Sal Tree and a particular sarhul dance are amongst these many cultural
events.
Even more remarkable are the festivals around Sarhul with the
various celebratory dishes that are produced and consumed, such as the
rice-dish named "handia'.'
In addition to this, plants include vegetables, mushrooms, fruit,
seeds, leaves, etc.
How to celebrate (including dishes etc.)
The various celebratory foods that are cooked and consumed around Sarhul
make the festivities even more spectacular, such as the rice dish known as
"handia," and the baked or dried fish dish known as "fish
sukha."
Gifts
Apart from the white animals and fowls, the offerings also include milk
and some cotton fabric. The offerings of Sal Tree blossoms are afterwards
brought to the homes of tribe members and maintained in the homes as
a sign of
good luck for the family.
Best places to experience/ Mela
Ranchi
Date & Time
On Chaitra Shukla Tritiya, the third day of the waxing moon (following
the new moon) in the Hindu month of Chaitra, which generally occurs in March or
April in the western calendar, Sarhul is a regional festival in the eastern
Indian state of Jharkhand.
Public Holidays (Y/N and where)
No/ Jharkhand And Odisha
