Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj decked up for tribal festival ‘Sohrai’
ROURKELA/BARIPADA: The rural landscape of Sundargarh district is all decked up for the tribal festival ‘Sohrai’, scheduled to be held on Wednesday.
Sohrai is a prominent tribal festival that closely resembles Govardhan Puja, involving the worship of cows and bullocks and celebrating the harvest season.
The festival is described as a form of thanksgiving to the sacred animals for their pivotal role in agriculture, including providing milk, aiding transportation, and supporting their owners in numerous ways.
Sources said Sohrai is usually celebrated a day after Diwali, on Kartik Amavasya. This year, however, it is being observed on Wednesday due to confusion over the Diwali date.
Nandini Mundari, a government employee, said she travelled back to her native village in Bisra block to celebrate the festival. “With the help of my family, we have cleaned and decorated our house as part of the preparations,” she said.
On Wednesday morning, instead of letting the cows and bullocks graze in the fields, they would be fed at the cowshed. “Before worshipping them, we clean and adorn them with ornaments made of flowers and leaves, and with crowns woven from paddy strands,” said Mundari.
She further said young girls and women wash the legs and hooves of the animals and extend the same ritual to their neighbours’ cattle. The entrance of houses and cowsheds are decorated with rangolis made from rice flour. The female head of the family leads the rituals while observing a fast. Animal sacrifice, especially of chickens, is performed, and the meat, along with newly-harvested grains, is cooked and served as prasad.
“In the evening, the cowsheds are illuminated with earthen lamps, and the community comes together for tribal folk dance and music,” Mundari added.
Manilal Kerketta, state president of Raji Parha Sarna Prarthana Sabha, said Sohrai festival is celebrated by several Hindu tribal communities including the Santhal, Mundari, Munda, Ho, Oram, Kisan and Bhumij. While the rituals may vary slightly, the essence remains the same, to express gratitude to livestock.
“Before worshipping the livestock, devotees pray to their presiding deity at the cattle shed, honouring the animals for their contribution to human survival,” he added.
Similarly, Sohrai will be celebrated by tribal communities of Mayurbhanj district with much fanfare. Kudumi Mohanta, Santhal, Bhumij, Bathudi, Lodha, Kumhar and Ganda tribes will celebrate the festival for five days, with each community observing it with distinctive customs and traditions.
