Baha parab, also known as Baa parab, is a spring festival celebrated by the Ho,

Santhal Santhal or Santal may refer to : *Santhal people (part of the Tea Tribes), in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam in India, also minorities in neighboring Bangladesh and Nepal ** their Santhal rebellion in present-day Jharkhand, India ** ...

, Munda and other tribal communities in India. The word "Baha" or "Baa" means flower. During Baha parab, men, women and children dress in traditional attire, offer flowers to the deities ''

Marang Buru Marang Buru, also written Maran Buru; ( Santali:ᱢᱟᱨᱟᱝ ᱵᱩᱨᱩ) is a supreme deity of Santal, Bhumij, Ho and Munda tribes residing in India, Bangladesh, Nepal. This creator is variously called Marang Buru (meaning "Supreme Deity ...

'' and ''

Jaher Ayo Jaher Ayo ( Santali:ᱡᱟᱦᱮᱨ ᱟᱭᱳ) or Jahera Mai, is the supreme deity of productivity, prosperity, and the savior of mankind in Sarnaism and Sari Dharam, followed by the native Santal tribal people in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. Sh ...

'', and celebrate with the beating of

Madal The madal () or maadal is a Nepalese folk musical instrument. The madal is used mainly for rhythm-keeping in Nepalese folk music. It is very popular and widely used as a hand drum in Nepal. The madal has a cylindrical body with a slight bulge at i ...

and Tamak (drums) while dancing in traditional tribal style.

Celebration

Marking the festival, the ''naike'' or ''deuri'' (the priest) performs a ritual. A ''kula'' with flowers and leaves of the Sal tree is offered at the

Jaherthan Jaherthan, also known as Jahirathan or Jahergarh (Hindi: जाहेरथान, जाहिराथान, जाहेरगढ़), is a sacred grove that is considered the residence of Jaher Ayo and is a worship site for the Santal, Bhu ...

(the altar), and devotees pray to Jaher Era, the deity. After performing the rituals, the naike, along with others, goes from door to door with the ''kula'' to bless everyone. People in the household, particularly young girls or women, offer food to the naike. As he is welcomed by a family, his feet are washed with water as a sign of respect. After the rituals, the second part of the program begins with dances and songs.Bharater adibasi, samaj File:Crossing_Baha_festival_2025_80.jpg, Baha Parab in Jharkhand File:Baha_Festival_at_jagannathpur_village_63.jpg, Baha Festival File:Crossing_Baha_festival_Jaher_than_04.jpg, Baha Festival

References

External links

*{{Cite web, url=http://www.indiantribalheritage.org/?p=21797, title=Slideshow - Baha Parab, the Santal Flower Festival "celebrating Man’s Communion with Nature" – West Bengal, website=www.indiantribalheritage.org, language=en, access-date=2017-05-19 Festivals in India Tribal festivals in India Folk culture of West Bengal

Celebration

References

Further reading

External links