Karma Puja

About Karma Puja:

• It is also called Karam and Karam Parab — is one of the most important tribal festivals in India.
• It is related to the harvest and a tribute to the Karam tree.(Karam tree symbolises fertility, prosperity and everything that is auspicious). 
• It is celebrated primarily in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Assam.
• It is popular especially among the Munda, Ho, Oraon, Baiga, Kharia, and Santhal peoples.
• It is traditionally celebrated on the Ekadashi tithi (eleventh day) which corresponds to August-September in the Gregorian calendar.
• How is it celebrated?
  • About a week prior to the festival, young women bring clear sand from the river and sow seven types of grains.
  • A Karam tree branch is planted in the courtyard or 'akhra' on the festival day.
  • Devotees come with jawa (hibiscus) flowers, and the pahan (priest) worships the Karam Raja. Dancing and singing of traditional Karam songs follow.
  • The festival concludes with the immersion of the Karam branch in a river or pond, and the jawa is distributed among the devotees.
  • At the end of the Karam festival, branches from sal or bhelua trees are often planted in the fields with the hope that the Karam Raja/ Devta will protect their crops.