Kadleta Festival of Kharia Tribe

The Kharia tribe celebrate the Kadleta festival in the Hindi month of Ashin (September-October). The word Kadleta relates to the work in the muddy field. It is found that after, the completion of transplantation, all the muddy work is over as well as by that time; the upland paddy crop is harvested. On one hand the people are free from their work, while on the other, they have something new to eat, hence, a suitable time for celebration of the festival.

A day is fixed for the commencement of the festival. On this day all the male members assemble at the Jankor Sarna or Kadleta Sarna of the village carrying a fowl, rice grains, Keund branch and Bhelwa twigs. The items are all accumulated at a place where the sacrifice is to be offered. The Kalo offers the objects by sprinkling water with Amba Deura (mango twig) prior to the performance of the sacrifice. The propitiation ceremony is initiated after twelve fowls are sacrificed, all of varying colours in the name of different khunt-pat spirits. The pat sacrifice in the name of whom the sacrifice is conducted are Karam pat, Chhakar pat, Kohra-pat and Andhiri pat. After the culmination of the ritual, the Kalo is carried by few people on their shoulder to the former`s house. His wife fetches water to wash his feet, only after which he is allowed to enter the house. When the villagers come back from the Sarna, they bring with them arwa rice and throw it in their fields with a belief that it would guard their crops and plants from being destroyed by insects, pests or diseases.

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