Jharkhand (The Land of Forest)

Jharkhand ("The land of forest") is a state in eastern India, the word

"Jhar" means 'forest' and "Khand" means 'land' in various Indo-Aryan
languages. Thus "Jharkhand"
means forest land created on 15
November 2000, from what was
previously the southern half of Bihar.
The state shares its border with the
states of Bihar to the north, Uttar
Pradesh to the northwest,
Chhattisgarh to the west, Odisha to
the south and West Bengal to the
east. It has an area of 79,714 km²
(30,778 sq mi). It is the 15th largest
state by area, and the 14th largest by
population. Hindi is the official language of the state. The city of Ranchi is its
capital and Dumka its sub capital. The state is known for its waterfalls, hills and
holy places: Baidyanath Dham, Parasnath and Rajrappa are major religious sites.

Food:

People of Jharkhand prefer rice, vegetables and

pickles and cooked in almost all households.
Dhuska, Koinar Sag, Dubki, Udad Dal, Kurthi Dal,
Litti-Chokha, Sattu Paratha, Pitha, Khapada, Roti,
Arsa, Mitha Pitha, and Kudurum Ki Chatni are the
famous recipe of the state which are preferred
by the local peoples, Mustard oil is used as a
medium in cooking, which gives it the
characteristic aroma.

Languages:

Unofficially there are many dialects and languages, as we know that in India
with every 5–10 km You will come across a new dialect. But officially there
are sixteen second state languages and Hindi is officially primary language.
Primary official Language - Hindi
Second State Language- 16 in number
Urdu, Santhali, Mundari, Ho, Khadiya, Khurkhu, Kurmali, Kortha,
Nagpuri, Odiya, Panchpargania, Bangla Magahi, Bhojpuri, Maithili
and Angika.
Endangered Languages of Jharkhand-
 ASUR - Definitely Vulnerable
 BIRHOR- Critically Endangered
 KORVA- Vulnerable
 Festivals of Jharkhand

Sarhul
Sarhul is celebrated during spring season and the Saal
trees get new flowers on their branches. It is a worship
of the village deity who is considered to be the
protector of the tribes. People sing and dance a lot
when the new flowers appear. The deities are
worshiped with saal flowers.

Karam
The Karam festival is a worship of Karam devta, the god of power, youth and
youthfulness. Karam is held on the 11 of moon in Bhadra month. Groups of young
villagers go to the jungle and collect wood, fruits and flowers. These are
required during the Puja of Karam God.

Jawa
At the same time, the unmarried tribal girls celebrate the Jawa festival, which
has its own kind of songs and dance. This is held mainly for the expectation of
good fertility and better household. The unmarried girls decorate a small
basket with germinating seeds. It is believed that the worship for good
germination of the grains would increase the fertility.

Tusu Parab or Makar

This festival is mostly seen in the area between
Bundu, Tamar and Raidih area of Jaharkhand.
This belt has a great history during India's
independence movement. TUSU is a harvest
festival held during the winter in the last day
of Poush month. It is also for the unmarried
girls. Girls decorate a wooden/ bamboo frame
with coloured paper and then gift it to the
nearby hilly river

Hal Punhya
Hal punhya is a festival which begins with the fall of winter. The first day of
Magh month, known as "Akhain Jatra" or "Hal Punhya", considered as the
beginning of ploughing. The farmers, to symbolize this auspicious morning plough
two and half circles of their agricultural land this day is also considered as the
symbol of good fortune.

Bhagta Parab
This festival comes between the period of spring and summer. Among the tribal
people of Jharkhand, Bhagta Parab is best known as the worship of Budha Baba.
This festivals is more popular in the Tamar region of Jharkhand.
Rohini
Rohini is perhaps the first festival of Jharkhand. It is a festival of sowing
seeds in the field. Farmers starts sowing seeds from this day but there is no
dance or song like other tribal festivals but just a few rituals. There are some
other festivals like Rajsawala Ambavati and Chitgomha are also celebrated with
Rohini.

Bandna
Bandana is one of the most famous festivals celebrated during the black moon
of month of Kartik (Kartik Aamavashya). This festival is mainly for the animals.
Tribals are very close with animals and pets. In this festival, people wash, clean,
paint, decorate feed well and put ornaments to their cows and bulls. The song
dedicated for this festival is called Ohira which is an acknowledgement for
animal's contribution in their day-to-day life.

Jani-Shikaar
This is held once every 12 years. The womenfolk wear menswear and go for
hunting in forest. Jani-Shikaar is performed in remember of driving away the
mohameddens by the kurukh womenfolk in Roh-tas-garh, who wanted to capture
the fort on the Sharhul festival new year day for tribal community, when men
used to be in drunken condition. They had tried to capture 12 times in 12 years
and every time they were driven by the kurukh women, who wore the men's
clothes while in the field of war.

Chhath Pooja
Chhath is an ancient Hindu festival and only
Vedic Festival dedicated to the Hindu Sun
God, Surya, also known as Surya Shashti.
[1] The Chhath Puja is performed in order to
thank Surya for sustaining life on earth and
to request the granting of certain wishes.
[2] The Sun, considered the god of energy
and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-
being, prosperity and progress. In Hinduism, Sun worship is believed to help
cure a variety of diseases, including leprosy, and helps ensure the longevity and
prosperity of family members, friends, and elders.

By

S.A.Evin Abishai
3rd ‘D’
Roll No:22