FESTIVALS
The
festivals observed by all the classes living in the state are Dussehra, Diwali,
Holi and Ganesh Chaturthi. Other festivals common to non-tribals are Basant
Panchami, Nag Panchami, Janmashtami, Shivaratri and Ram Navami. For the tribes,
the Bhils and the Gonds, every festival is followed by some sort of animal sacrifice. The tribals
of Bastar often complement their economy by community hunts like Pandum and
Parad.
Gana-Gour
Gana-gour which
is the festival of the north-western regions of Madhya Pradesh is celebrated in
honour of Shiva and Parvati. 'Gana' means Shiva and 'Gour' means Parvati or Rano
Bai.
Rano Bai's
parental house was in Malwa and she was married in Rajasthan. Rano Bai was a
beloved child of her parents and she was so much attached to Malwa that she did
not like staying in Rajasthan with her husband. After marriage she could come to
Malwa only once a year. Gana-Gour symbolizes the coming back of Rano Bai to her
parental house after marriage.
The womenfolk
of Malwa observe Gana-Gour twice a year. Once in the month of Bhadra and
the other in the month of Chaitra. But the importance is given to the
Chaitra Teej, i.e. the third day of the bright half of Chaitra (March - April). The preliminaries of the festival are started just
after Holi and conclude on Chaitra Teej. The post-Holi period punctuates the changes of the season. For unmarried girls, it
signalizes the arrival of puberty. Prior to the Gana-Gour day girls go to the
riverside singing traditional songs, and return home with jars full of water and
green leaves. The ritual is called Phul-Pati which means flowers and leaves.
The other
visual aspect of the festival is the idol of Gana-Gour, which is made a week in
advance. The Rawat women of Chhattisgarh prepare idols of both Shiva and Parvati
and call the pair Isar-Gair. The Gonds make an idol of Bhimsen along with that
of Isar-Gour. Different classes of Hindus prepare the idols
according to their own age-old fashion. The war-loving tribes adore the idol of
Shiva with a sword in one hand and a shield on the back.
The Gana-Gour
festival includes offering of grown wheat or blades of rice to the idols by married women. The ritual is made for the blossoming
of married life and the welfare of the community. In Surguja district, after
completing the ceremonial rituals women dance the Karna which lasts the whole
night. In Malwas the puja is performed daily in the evening till the
concluding day. It follows the traditional dance around the idol.
The dance is extremely simple. It consists of circular movements round the
images of Gana-Gour. All such performances are arranged in the houses
with large courtyards. At the end sugar-bubbles, (batasha) are distributed
among the gathering by the host. On the last day of the festival, the
idols are led out in procession to bid ceremonial farewell at river-banks or
tanks. The Gana-Gour of the Dhakars are taken out in procession with the
beating of drums and the playing of musical instruments.
Gana-Gour is
repeated on the third day of Bhadra in the form of Kajli Teej to confirm the
setting in of the rainy season. Swings are put on all the big trees of the
village. A festive look is given to the houses and songs are once again
echoed. In Chhattisgarh lyrics are sung in praise of goddess Durga and Mother
Sharda. The sentiments of newly-married girls also find expression in may
of the songs.
The festival
corresponds with the Gavar of Rajasthan. Gaura is a parallel festival celebrated
in Chhattisgarh, the only exception being that it falls in Kartika instead of
Chaitra or Bhadra.
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