The Santal tribe's Baha (flower) festival in eastern India marks the onset of spring, celebrating fertility and the symbiotic relationship between society and nature. Through rituals emphasising the forest's importance and women's vital role, it underscores the Santal worldview of interconnectedness and ecological harmony
All images by Subrata Biswas
The Santal tribe, dispersed across eastern India, intertwines sacred festivals with the seasonal cycle, celebrated in sacred groves (Jaher Than) to preserve local biodiversity. Their rituals reflect deep ecological understanding, promoting harmony with nature. Despite minimal formal environmental education, their cultural values foster stewardship, showing indigenous environmental wisdom. Believed to have migrated from Southeast Asia around 1500 BC, the Santals entered the Indian subcontinent long before the Aryans. They primarily settled amidst the forest areas of the Chota Nagpur Plateau in eastern India. They are ethnically Proto-Australoid and speak Santali (an Austro-Asiatic language). With a population of around 7.5 million, they are prominent among India's indigenous groups, contributing richly to Indian culture through music, dance, and crafts, reflecting their resilience and unique identity.
The Baha festival, held annually in the forested Santal villages, marks the advent of spring with Sal (Shorea Robusta) and Mahua (Madhuca Longifolia) trees blooming vibrantly. "Baha" in Santali means flower, embodying the festival's essence. Its rituals symbolise fertility, uniting male and female elements through Sal and Mahua flowers and straw puppets. Women play a crucial role in invoking blessings from forest deities, emphasising their importance in village prosperity. Santal men and women gather in the sacred grove, invoking gods through songs, some entering trance as Marang Buru, the forest deity. Marang Buru, meaning "great mountain," is revered with Sal flowers. The festival underscores society's interdependence with the environment. Rituals such as hunting and predicting rainfall from a clay pitcher highlight the forest's significance to agriculture and village life.
Santal's Baha festival takes place in the month of Phagun (February/March), but the day of celebration is not specified. It varies from Phagun new moon to Phagun full moon. The festival occurs on varying dates across villages, allowing relatives to join each other's celebrations, engage in lively activities, and share rice beer, fostering joyous camaraderie. The festival's focus on fertility extends to human reproduction, with married women symbolising fecundity. Women, likened to flowers, represent human and natural fertility's interconnection. Santal culture sees human and natural realms as intertwined, comparing life stages to trees.
Santals reside in hilly, forested areas, distancing themselves from urban centres and prioritising a close bond with nature. Believed to have migrated from Southeast Asia around 1500 BC, they primarily settled amidst the forest areas of the Chota Nagpur Plateau in eastern India.