KARAM FESTIVAL

By Fr. Hippoletus Toppo

Karam is the most popular and important festival of the Adivasis all over India including Assam. Out of the five types of Karam celebrated at the different times of the year, which coincide with events in the agricultural cycles, ‘Raji Karam’ is the most popular. It is celebrated with great pomp and gaiety. The other four types of Karam are ‘Gitiya Karam, Dasai Karam’, ‘Burhi Karam’ and the ‘Bamba Karam’.
The ‘Raji Karam’ is celebrated on ‘Bhado Ekadashi’ that is, on the 11th day of the Lunar month of August-September. The feast is meant for the protection of standing crops. It is primarily meant for the ‘parvatins’ that is the young girls who are recently engaged, who fast and pray for the healthy children in their future life. It is also believed that these ascetic practices bring down blessings upon their brothers and protect them from all harm and evil. Nevertheless, this festival is a community affair, where young and old all join in festivity. Probably, that is why it derived its name ‘Raji Karam’.
Eight days before the feast, the unmarried girls go to the river and bring sand in their new bamboo basket. The sand is heaped in the courtyard of the Karam household, where the festival is going to be held. As they sing and dance around the heap they mix some maize seeds with it. The mixture is carried home by them in their bamboo baskets and watered with turmeric water everyday. Soon, the maize seeds produce beautiful tender yellow green blades, which are called ‘jawa’.
On the day of karam feast, the girls of the village go for flower picking with their karam baskets. On their return towards the sunset, they fix the young ‘jawa’ in their hair. The boys likewise dress themselves with long ‘dhotis’, shirts, and gird their waists and ankles with belt-sets with little brass dancing bell. Between the belt and ‘dhoti’ they insert ‘jhail’- a bunch of peacock feathers, and a ‘chawar’ – a yalk’s tail. In their turban they fix ‘tainya’, -thin pieces of brass.
Then they proceed to cut the karam branches. When they arrive at the foot of the chosen karam tree they select three branches amidst singing, drumming and dancing. The branches should be straight and not damaged in anyway and whose leaves are fresh and green. One of the boys climbs up the tree and cuts the branches with great care and reverence. The detached branches are not allowed to touch the ground and are held up by the girls while still in the air. As the branches are cut they sing -
“ke katay, ke katay nawa karam dair ?
Babure namka babu katay nawa karam dair.”
(Who is cutting the new karam branch?
The young boy is cutting the new karam branch)
“ke jhokay, ke jhokay nawa karam dair?
Bainire namki, baini jhokay nawa karam dair”
(Who is holding the new karam branch?
The young girl is holding the new karam branch.
Then they return to the village in a happy procession carrying the karam branches as they march ahead drumming, singing and dancing. The rest of the villagers meet them at Karam courtyard. The branches are handed over one by one to the wife of the head of the karam household, who plants them observing some ceremonies. She lights an oil-lamp, digs a hole in the center of the courtyard with ploughshare and plants the branches firmly on the ground. She applies some oil and vermilion on the lower part of the branches. This ritual signifies the marriage-taking place between the deity residing on the Karam tree and ‘parvatins’. She then burns incense or jaggery, in veneration so that the deity may give good harvest, prosperity and wellbeing to its worshippers.
Karam myth varies from place to place as far as the matter of the story is concerned. However, its message is one and the same. The core message of the Karam myth is – “respect and veneration of the Karam deity brings down blessings of peace and prosperity, while its disrespect and desecration causes curse and misery”. Among the many karam myths the story of the ‘Seven Brothers and Seven Wives’ is the most popular. At the end of the narration of the karam myth the narrator, who usually is a ‘pahan’ (priest) prays for peace and prosperity, for each household as well as for the whole village at large. The girls distribute ‘jawa’ to their brothers and others. The tender cucumbers, which symbolize young babies are taken and fondled by the spectators with much fun and humor. Having broken their fast by eating bread and other dainties the boys and the girls return to the karam courtyard and spend the whole night in dancing. The other villagers also join in the fun.
Next morning around 10 a.m. the dance is concluded. After the performance of some simple ceremonies the Karam branches are immersed in a river or pond. Before dispersing they return to the courtyard and dance for sometime without drums. The rest of the day is spent in eating and merry-making.
Apart from the festivity and religiosity that characterize the celebration, karam festival is an embodiment of value systems and plays an important preservatory role. It upholds a powerful philosophy of the belief in the all-powerful, all pervasive and sacredness of the Divine. Sociologically, its importance is immense as it presents a code of conduct all through the karam myth and indeed all through the celebration. The feast has deep ecological concern in as much as it fosters great respect for plants and trees. From the time immemorial it has been preserving the tribal culture and traditions in the rich language of the myth and lyrics, the colors of the dress and ornaments, above all, it holds the Adivasis in unity and solidarity.