State PCS - Jharkhand (JPSC)

• 06 Sep 2025

Karam Festival

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.