Karam Puja
"Karam Ka hale Aayo
Karam koidi koise Ayo
Sean bhad saile gelo re
Kumari sori karam garare..."
Karam Puja is the most important festival of the tea tribe community of Assam, dedicated to the worship of Karam Devta, the God of power and youthfulness. It is also celebrated in some other Indian states such as Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal.
The Karam festival is usually celebrated on the night of Bhado Ekadashi or the 11th day of the month of Bhado ( August-September) which falls on the fullmoon night or Purnima. The rituals of the festival centre around the Karam tree.
On the day of the festival, women wake up early and pound rice in the ' dheki', to obtain rice flour which is used to make a local delicacy and is shared throughout the neighbourhood.
Thereafter, the people begin their ceremonial dance. A branch of the Karam tree is carried by the Karam dancers who are usually young unmarried girls. It is then washed with milk and rice beer and planted in the centre of the dancing arena. The devotees keep a day-long fast and worship the branches of Karam and Sal trees. People drink liquor and spend the entire night singing and dancing. The next day, the Karam tree is sprinkled with curd and taken for immersion in the river.
Karam is a harvest festival which is closely linked with nature. People worship 'mother nature' to keep their farmlands green and ensure a rich harvest. Trees are worshiped as they are a source of livelihood.
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School - Satrapara Ideal High School, Kamrup.
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