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Adivasis in Jharkhand and the Chhotanagpur region will celebrate the Sarhul festival on April 1, 2025 to mark the new year and the arrival of spring.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Sarhul
• Sarhul: Three-day festival
• Sarhul’s Transformation Over The Years
• Significance of Sarhul

Sarhul

• Sarhul is the festival of the New Year celebrated in the state of Jharkhand by the tribal communities as part of the local Sarna religion.
• It is celebrated in the Hindu month of Chaitra, three days after the appearance of the new moon.
• It is also a celebration of the beginning of spring.
• Nature Worship in Sarhul
  • Sarhul, meaning "worship of the Sal tree," is a significant Adivasi festival rooted in nature worship.
  • The Sal tree is revered as the abode of Sama Maa, the village-protecting deity.
• Symbolic Union of Sun and Earth
  • The festival symbolizes the union of the Sun and the Earth.
  • A pahan (male priest) represents the Sun, while his wife (pahen) symbolizes the Earth, signifying the essential connection between sunlight and soil for sustaining life.
• Celebration of Life’s Cycle
  • Sarhul marks the renewal of life.
  • Only after its rituals are completed do Adivasis begin agricultural activities like ploughing, sowing, and forest gathering, emphasizing the festival’s deep ties to nature and sustenance.
• Sarhul Among Different Tribes
  • Sarhul is celebrated by various tribes, including the Oraon, Munda, Santal, Khadia, and Ho, each with unique names and traditions associated with the festival.
• Evolution from Hunting to Agriculture
  • Anthropologists noted that Sarhul originally centered around hunting but gradually evolved into an agriculture-based festival, reflecting the changing lifestyle of Adivasis in Chhotanagpur.
• Sarhul’s Journey Beyond Chhotanagpur
  • In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Adivasi communities, including the Munda, Oraon, and Santal, carried Sarhul with them when they were sent as indentured laborers to distant lands.
  • Today, Sarhul is celebrated from Assam’s tea gardens, to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan.

Sarhul: Three-day festival

• Sarhul is a three-day festival celebrated at Sarna Sthals, sacred groves near villages in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Bihar. These groves are central to the festival's rituals.
• Preparations and First Day
  • Homes and Sarna Sthals are decorated with triangular red and white Sama flags.
  • The pahan (priest) observes a fast, collects ceremonial water, and oversees the cleaning of houses and sacred sites. Sal flowers are gathered for rituals.
• Main Rituals on the Second Day
  • The main ceremonies take place at the Sarna Sthal, where Sal flowers are offered to the deity and a rooster is sacrificed for prosperity and a good harvest.
  • Holy water is sprinkled, and villagers perform traditional dances like Jadur, Gena, and Por Jadur.
  • Young men also participate in ceremonial fishing and crab-catching.
• Final Day: Community Feast and Blessings
  • The festival concludes with a grand community feast, where people share handia (rice beer) and traditional delicacies.
  • The pahan blesses the villagers, marking the end of the celebrations.

Sarhul’s Transformation Over The Years

• In the 1960s, Adivasi leader Baba Karthik Oraon, a champion of social justice and tribal culture, initiated a Sarhul procession from Hatma to Siram Toli Sarna Sthal in Ranchi.
• Over the past 60 years, processions have become a central part of the festival, with Siram Toli emerging as a major gathering point.
• Political and Identity Assertion
  • Sarhul has increasingly become a platform for Adivasi identity assertion.
  • Some tribal groups use the festival to emphasize their distinctiveness from Hinduism, advocating for the inclusion of the Sarna religion in India's caste census.
• Debate Over Religious Identity
  • While Sarna followers seek recognition as a separate religious group, other groups argue that Adivasis are part of Hinduism.

Significance of Sarhul

• Sarhul: A Festival Where Nature Takes Center Stage
  • Unlike mainstream Indian festivals that celebrate human achievements, Sarhul Festival honors nature, with the Sal tree as its chief guest.
• A Festival Without Idols: Pure Worship of Nature
  • Sarhul’s rituals are refreshingly simple—no idols or temple processions, just deep reverence for nature.
• Preserving Adivasi Heritage in a Changing World
  • As urbanization threatens tribal traditions, Sarhul stands as a cultural movement reinforcing Adivasi identity.
• A Lesson for Modern Celebrations
  • It teaches that true celebration lies in respecting nature, not in extravagance.