Santhals celebrate festival of new flowers

BARIPADA: With the local priest distributing Sal and Mahua flowers to both men and women, and tribals dancing to drum beats, the colourful festival of ‘Baha’ was celebrated amid traditional gaiety by Santhals in Rairangpur block of Mayurbhanj district.The festival is mainly celebrated to worship the new flowers of Sal and Mahua trees in February-March ahead of the spring festival and concludes on Pana Sankranti. During the festival, villagers collect flowers and offer them to the deities. The first day is dedicated to purification and tribals gather at the spot named ‘Jahersthan’ (holy place) in their village and set up an abode for the deity.

The priest later visits all the houses in the village where the women and girls wash his feet and he gives them Sal flowers as per tradition. Sal flowers have a special significance for the tribals. “The Sal and Mahua flowers with which the priest offers the prayer and performs the rituals are distributed among the tribals. Now-a-days, the rituals are being performed at ‘Jahersthan’. The festival is also known as Santhal Holi, but colours are not used. “If a community member plays Holi or colour touches his body, he/she will not be allowed to enter his own house. He will live in relatives’ house. He will be allowed to enter his house after attending the Baha festival,” said Gurba Soren of Society for Research and Development of Tribal Culture.  

Ramchandra Baskey, a local, said the community priest, who is known as ‘Nayake’ or ‘Majhihalam’, has key role in the festival. The priest’s wife grinds flour on day one of the festival while village headman called as ‘Godet’ goes around the village collecting rice, salt and chicken in a big basket. A bachelor boy, who accompanies him, carries a small pot containing holy water.

On the last day, the tribals once again gather at the ‘Jatherthan’ singing and dancing, and the priest after offering prayers, performs various rituals in honour of the deity and their ancestors. Later, they take out a rally from priest’s house to the headman’s house.