Sarhul Festival

Context

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

Key Highlights

• Sarhul is the festival of the New Year celebrated in the state of Jharkhand by the tribal communities as a part of the local Sarna religion.
• It is widely known in the Hindu month of Chaitra, 3 days after the appearance of the new moon.
• It is also a celebration of the beginning of spring.

Nature Worship in Sarhul

• • Sarhul, which means “worship of the Sal tree,” is a substantial Adivasi festival rooted in nature worship.
  • The Sal tree is respected as the domicile of Sama Maa, the village-protecting deity.

• Symbolic Union of Sun and Earth

• • • The pageant 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 daylight and soil for maintaining lifestyles.

• Celebration of Life’s Cycle

• • Sarhul marks the renewal of life.
  • Only after its rituals are finished do Adivasis begin agricultural activities like ploughing, sowing, and forest accumulating, emphasizing the festival’s deep ties to nature and sustenance.

Sarhul Among Different Tribes

Sarhul is well known by various tribes, consisting of the Oraon, Munda, Santal, Khadia, and Ho, each with precise names and traditions related to the festival.

• Evolution from Hunting to Agriculture

• • • Anthropologists cited that Sarhul in the beginning centered around searching but steadily advanced into an agriculture based pageant, reflecting the converting lifestyle of Adivasis in Chhotanagpur.

• Sarhul’s Journey Beyond Chhotanagpur

• • In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Adivasi communities, which includes the Munda, Oraon, and Santal, carried Sarhul with them once they had been sent as indentured people 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 3-day festival celebrated at Sarna Sthals, sacred groves near villages in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Bihar. These groves are important to the festival’s rituals.

• Preparations and First Day

• • • Homes and Sarna Sthals are adorned with triangular pink and white Sama flags.
    • The pahan (priest) observes a fast, collects ceremonial water, and oversees the cleansing of homes and sacred sites. Sal plants are amassed for rituals.

• Main Rituals on the Second Day

• • • The foremost ceremonies take place on the Sarna Sthal, wherein Sal flowers are provided to the deity and a chicken is sacrificed for prosperity and a terrific harvest.
    • Holy water is sprinkled, and villagers perform traditional dances like Jadur, Gena, and Por Jadur.
    • Young men additionally participate in ceremonial fishing and crab-catching.

• Final Day: Community Feast and Blessings

• • The pageant concludes with a grand community banquet, where humans share handia (rice beer) and traditional cuisine.
  • The pahan blesses the villagers, marking the end of the celebrations.

Significance of Sarhul

• Sarhul: A Festival Where Nature Takes Center Stage: Unlike mainstream Indian gala’s that celebrate human achievements, Sarhul Festival honors nature, with the Sal tree as its leader.

• A Festival Without Idols: Pure Worship of Nature: Sarhul’s rituals are refreshingly easy—no idols or temple processions, only deep reverence for nature.

• Preserving Adivasi Heritage in a Changing World: As urbanization threatens tribal traditions, Sarhul stands as a cultural movement reinforcing Adivasi identification.

• A Lesson for Modern Celebrations: It teaches that real party lies in respecting nature, not in extravagance.

Source: The Indian Express

Download as PDF