what is karma puja

Karma Puja is a harvest festival celebrated in the Indian states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Odisha, and Bangladesh. It is dedicated to the worship of Karam-Devta (Karam-Lord/God), the god of power, youth, and youthfulness, and is celebrated for good harvest and health. The festival is related to the harvest and is a tribute to the Karam tree, which symbolizes fertility, prosperity, and everything that is auspicious. During the festival, the branch of the Karam tree is carried by the Karma dancers accompanied by singing and dancing. Smeared with milk and rice beer, this branch is raised in the middle of the spot where the festival is being celebrated. The festival has many interesting rituals associated with it, such as the offering of germinated grains and liquor to the deity who grants wealth and children, and the killing of a fowl and offering its blood to the branch. Women dance to the beat of drums and folk songs, and the puja is followed by a community feast and the drinking of hariya. The next day, the Karam tree is sprinkled with curd of the seas and immersed in the river bed. The festival delivers a message to the whole world and especially to Indians that we all are dependent on land, water, and forest; trees that sustain the environment must be worshipped, saved, and planted more and more. The festival has an interesting story associated with it, which emphasizes the importance of Karma festival and paying reverence to Karam deity. The festival appears in the month of August or September, as per the Hindu calendar, and falls on the Bhadrapada month.