A festival - Karma

The Karma festival is observed by, the tribals as well as the non-tribals. Many believe that it is an imitation of a Hindu festival. The ceremony of Karma begins with the planting of trees.

The tribal youth spend the night of the festival dancing and singing. The traditional dance owes its name to the Karma tree, which symbolizes good fortune. The song sung during this festival narrates the legends of Karma and Dharma.

Men and women participate in the dance, forming circles around the tree and moving with their arms around each other’s waists. As the drumbeats get louder and quicker, the dancers gain speed and the dance generally ends in an uproar.

Karma (Karam) is a festival celebrated by the Oraon, Baiga, Binjhwari and Majhwar tribes of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. It is observed during the Hindu month of Bhadrapada.
At this instance, the youth of the villages, accompanied by drummers, assemble in the forest to collect fruits and flowers, and they worship Karma Devta, a goddess who is represented with a branch of karam tree. The main ritual of this festival is the cutting of three branches of the ‘karam’ tree, and inserting it on a dancing ground called ‘akhara’. These branches are called ‘Karam Raja’. The installation ritual of the branches is followed by a ceremonial dance, called Karma Dance.

After the dance, the tribal chief narrates the significance of the ritual. He also tells about the legends of Karam Devi who is believed to be the Goddess of wealth and children. A unique custom is that a fowl is sacrificed and offered to this branch. Then the tribals sing and dance throughout the night.

The branches are offered garlands on the next day. Flowers, curd and rice are also offered. Red baskets full of grains are placed near the branches.

Barley seedlings are distributed among young people who wear them on their heads. The branches are worshipped, blessings are sought from them, and then they are carried by, the women, around the village.