Winter: A season to celebrate now

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For them, the coming of winter marks the season of celebration. They consider it a period of pleasure like spring and merry-making. The Santh-als, a primitive tribal community living in the mineral-rich Sukinda valley under the Jajpur district in Odisha, commemorate arr-ival of the winter in a different fashion.

They organise music and dance programmes in their villages, sacrifice cocks to appease deities, and dine together at community feasts.
The celebration begins with Poadabangasahai puja on the first day of Hindu month Margasira and concludes after two months on the last day of Pausha. According to Rabi Hansda, an elderly tribal of Sukinda, hundreds of people, including females, gather at a particular place on the morning of the first day of Margasira and worship the village deities. And then begins the real show. All the people assembled at the place divide themselves into small groups; consume Handia, a local made traditional brew prepared from rice and some roots that gives the kick of liquor, to their heart content, and dance singing traditional Santhali songs.
“Under the influence of Handia, they forget all their hardships and sorrows for the moment and get completely immersed the cultural activities. Each one of them turns to be an artiste and adore the winter in their own ways. While some of them play Changu and Dhol — their traditional musical instruments, others sing and dance, enthralling the visitors coming from the adjoining areas,” adds Rabi.
In their melodious chorus, they invoke gods and goddess, praise the nature and forest and adore the young girls and boys, filling the morning chill with the warmth of charm and sweetness. On the occasion, many tribals make sacrifices with a belief that it would help them get their desired results.
Another interesting custom the Santhals practise during the winter festival is forcing the cattle to walk on eggs as they think it would please the nature gods to bless a bumper Rabi crop. A few others, pour Handia on the statues of tribal deities as a mark of respect.
“As winter sets in, the Santhals of Sukinda almost get hooked to ecstasy and rejoice it in their own way. They pray their deities for good health and a decent harvests season ahead,” says Rama Hansada, a Santhal resident of Kaliapani village. Some Sa-nthals observe extreme austerity by avoiding winter garments. They believe self-penance would appease the deities and earn them blessings. They keep the-mselves warm by burning the firewood collected from the local forests.