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Jharkhand

Karam Festival

  • 06 Sep 2025
  • 3 min read

Why in News?

Jharkhand Chief Minister took part in the Karam festival celebrations held in Ranchi.

About Karam (Karma) Festival

  • Geographic and Community Reach: The harvest festival is celebrated by tribal populations in the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, and Odisha.
    • It is especially popular among the Munda, Ho, Oraon, Baiga, Kharia, and Santhal tribes.
  • Timing and Date: The festival is traditionally celebrated on the Ekadashi tithi (eleventh day) of the lunar fortnight in the month of Bhado/Bhadra (corresponding to August-September).
  • Central Symbol and Deity: The festival is named after and centers on the Karam tree. The tree is traditionally seen as a symbol of Karam Devta or Karamsani, the god of strength, youth, and vitality.
  • Rituals and Ceremonial Practices: 
    • Preparation: About a week before the festival, young women bring clear sand from the river, in which they sow seven types of grains.
    • Main Ceremony: On the day of the festival, a branch of the Karam tree is planted in the courtyard or ‘akhra’.
    • Worship: Devotees bring jawa (hibiscus) flowers, and the pahan (priest) worships the Karm Raja or Karam Devta.
    • Celebration: The worship is followed by dancing and the singing of traditional Karam songs.
    • Conclusion: The festival concludes with the immersion of the Karam branch in a river or pond, and the jawa is distributed among the devotees.
  • Agricultural Linkages and Practices: The origin of the festival is traced to the beginning of agriculture by tribal communities.
    • As the Oraon/ Kurukh community aligned cultural practices with seasonal agricultural cycles, they celebrated Karam as the festival of dhaan/ anaaj (grains) during the autumn rains.
    • Branches from sal or bhelua trees are often planted in the fields after the festival, hoping Karam Raja/ Devta will protect their crops.
    • The stems of Chirchitti (chaff flower) and Sindwar (chaste tree) are planted in paddy fields, acting as natural insecticides.
    • The pahan (priest) prays for a good harvest during the ceremonies.
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