Festivals: Guardians of Oral Tradition and Knowledge Preservation

Tribal communities around the world often have deep connections to nature and practice various forms of nature worship. These communities often live in close proximity to natural environments and rely on them for their livelihoods, spiritual beliefs, and cultural practices.

Nature worship in tribal communities can take many forms, including rituals, ceremonies, and beliefs that honor and revere elements of nature such as mountains, rivers, trees, animals, and celestial bodies like the sun and moon. These beliefs often stem from an intimate understanding of the natural world and a sense of interconnectedness with all living beings.

Festivals play a significant role in tribal cultures, often serving as occasions to celebrate nature, commemorate important events, and reinforce community bonds. Many tribal festivals are closely linked to agricultural cycles, seasonal changes, or significant milestones in the community's history. These festivals often involve music, dance, storytelling, traditional foods, and various forms of ritualistic activities that connect participants with their cultural heritage and the natural world around them.

Celebration of myriads of festivals, where nature and ancestor worship along with merrymaking take the centre stage for the tribal people, is associated with the culture and tradition of tribal communities. Many aspects of these festivals are on the verge of extinction due to lack of documentation and preservation.

Recently, during a conversation with Ms roopa sahoo , commissioner-cum-secretary, ST & SC Development Department, she highlighted, “The many festivals of tribal communities in Odisha, like the Chaita Paraba, serve as vital lifelines for the preservation and transmission of indigenous knowledge. The festival becomes a living repository of oral tradition, where stories, myths, and cultural practices are vividly recounted and re-enacted. From the village priest setting the festival schedules based on celestial movements to the intricate rituals of planting new seeds and offering prayers to ancestral deities, each aspect of the celebration embodies centuries-old wisdom and ecological understanding.”

This illuminating conversation sparked my interest in exploring the springtime festival of Chaita Parab, celebrated by various tribes in Odisha. Deeply rooted in their connection to nature and agrarian lifestyle, this festival heralds the arrival of spring and the commencement of agricultural activities, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of Odisha's tribal communities.

Celebrated typically in the month of Chaitra, corresponding to March-April in the Gregorian calendar, Chaita Parab is eagerly awaited by the tribes as a time of renewal and rejuvenation in nature. The festival is a colorful affair, filled with vibrant rituals, traditional dances, and communal gatherings among Paraja, Bhumija, Kondha and Saura communities.

For the Paraja tribe , the village priest or the Dishari sets the festival schedules after studying natural phenomena and celestial movements. Once the dates are fixed, their hamlets wear a festive look with the houses washed with sacred cow-dung and beautified with decorative soil, special offerings distributed among relatives and people enjoy with Dhemsa and Sailadi dances. The village folks go for hunting as part of the celebration.

This is a seven day celebration with the first day dedicated to setting the tone by washing and decorating houses and the goddess is welcomed. The second day is to bid the deity farewell with animal offerings. In the evening of the second day, Dishari and Jaani set out on planting new seeds in the field where they cook rice and chicken and offer to the deity and ancestors or Duma. The rest of the offering is distributed among the villagers.

The young girls and boys set out on hunting in the nearby jungle. While the girls collect woods and make chhamunda, young boys go in groups for hunting which is called Benta. Big catch is called Bada (big) Benta? and small hunts are called Sana (small) Benta. These activities are part of selecting partners among the young folks or Dhangada- Dhangidi.

During these seven days the villagers don’t indulge in any farming activities. They play holi with natural colours. They indulge in merrymaking, enjoying the moment with a lot of fun and frolic.

The Kandha and Saura communities celebrate Chaita Paraba for three days from the new moon day. According to tribal researcher Dr Pramodini Hota, this festival is also called Hire Parab and Chatura Parbu. The tribals worship Tangi Penu (Durga) during this festival. Several revered trees and herb plants and natural elements are also worshipped during the festival.? The Kondha folks make rounds of villages dancing and singing in groups. They believe these rituals ensure good harvest in the following year.

Chaita Paraba serves as more than just a celebration; it is the very essence of tribal culture and tradition, preserved and cherished for generations. Despite the encroachment of modernity, these communities remain steadfast in their commitment to honoring nature, their ancestors, and the timeless rhythms of life.

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