karam

Karam is a harvest festival, celebrated in Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Odisha, dedicated to the worship of Karam-Devta, the god of power, youth and youthfulness. The festival is celebrated by diverse groups of individuals, including: the Kharia, Korba, Kuli/Kulis, Bagal, Baiga, Binjhwari, Bhumij, Oraon, Munda, Santal, Kudmi, Karmali, Lohra and many more. During the festival, groups of young villagers attend the jungle, collect wood, fruits, and flowers, which are required during the puja of the Karam God. People celebrate the festival by singing and dancing together in groups, girls fast throughout day. within the ritual, a large number of people go to the jungle and cut one or more branches of the Karam tree after worshiping it, those branches are usually carried by unmarried, young girls. These branches are then dropped at the village and planted within the center of the bottom which is prepared with cow-dung and decorated with flowers. A priest is called who offers germinated grains and liquor in propitiation to the deity who grants wealth and kids.