The Madai Festival is celebrated by people belonging to the Gond community with a lot of significance and excitement. Madai Festival is one of popular festivals of Chhattisgarh. The festival reflects the rich culture and tradition of the state. The Madai Festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and excitement. The most vital feature of the festival is that, it is always celebrated in a large ground where it is probable to have a large gathering.
Celebration of Madai Festival
The Gonds begin the celebration of the Madai Festival with a procession. The most important feature of the festival is that it is always celebrated in a large ground where people from different regions gather to have great mirth and merriment. The festival of the state features the sacrifice of a goat in honor of the tribal Gods. This is an important ritual in which a goat is sacrificed under a sacred tree before being taken around the entire village amidst great drumbeats and bells ringing. All fun and frolics begin with initiation ceremony when the prayers are offered to local Gods.
During the celebration of the Madai festival a huge fair with shops and eateries are set up. These are visited by large crowds who take part in the festival. The fair also features shops that sell different articles made by the local craftsmen. These wooden products put up for sale reflects the great craftsmanship of the people. People visiting the festival also indulge in dining at the eateries that sell various delicacies of the state. Mutual exchanges and greetings are shared by all living in the region and by visitors from different corners of the city who came in to join the celebration which is held at different times in different places.
Various cultural events are also organized that reflect the culture and tradition of the people and the state. These events remain crammed with music and are visited by many people. Cultural dance shows and tribal music are organized by the tribal people.
The celebration of Chhattisgarh Madai Festival continues throughout the night. People engage in drinking, dining and merrymaking. The Madai festival in Chhattisgarh is celebrated in different manner at different places and at different times. Narayanpur is the best place to visit during the Madai festival which is held in the beginning of February. Other places like Kondagaon, Keshkal and the neighboring Bhopalpattanam celebrate the Madai festival in the month of March. The festival of Madai in Chhattisgarh is celebrated at different locations in Chhattisgarh from the month of December till March.
