Tribal festival Sarhul to be celebrated with COVID restrictions in Jharkhand

Sarhul, one of the biggest tribal festivals in Jharkhand, will be celebrated on Monday with fanfare after a gap of two years with COVID restrictions in place.

In view of the pandemic, the administration has barred children and elderly from participating in the processions brought out during the festival which marks the tribal New Year.

Each procession should not have more than 100 people, and if the processions converge at a place, the total number of participants should not exceed 1,000, a government order said. The processions should conclude by 6 PM and pre-recorded music or DJ should not be played after that, it said.

Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Chhavi Ranjan urged Sarna committees to follow the guidelines issued by the state government.

Sarhul rituals started on Sunday with a tribal priest placing two water-filled earthen pots under a sal tree at sarna sthal (tribal religious place) in Hatma area of Ranchi, Kendriya Sarna Samiti president Bablu Munda said.

The traffic department prohibited the entry of vehicles into Ranchi from 6 AM to midnight on Monday in view of Sarhul celebrations.

Private vehicles will be barred from many places in the city after 1 PM on Monday. In-charges of various police stations were asked to ensure operational CCTV cameras at sensitive locations. Sarhul is a three-day festival relating to the worship of sal trees. It commences on the third day of Chaitra month.

People from various tribes such as Oraon, Munda and Ho pay obeisance to the sal tree and thank nature for providing shelter and livelihood, food and drink.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)