দক্ষিণ-পশ্চিম বাংলার সাঁওতালদের প্রধান কৃষি উৎসবসমূহ : একটি নির্বাচিত পাঠ / Major Agricultural Festivals of the Santals in Southwest Bengal: A Select Study

Abstract

Agrarian culture or Farm lore is the life culture of agrarian people which has evolved over time into a proper tradition. It can also be called farm culture. Farm culture is all about research, exploration of nature and practice of knowledge to keep the pace of life on the soil. Not only agriculture-fisheries, sericulture, lac cultivation, bee keeping, duck, chicken, goat, cow and other livestock processing and preservation of the produce are all part of agricultural culture. Due to the dynamic flow of food production and preservation, various cultures festivals, fairs, beliefs, reforms, rituals, prohibitions are developed around. Again, the agriculturist expresses the human consciousness that there is happiness in creation. While planting paddy they make talk, chat different tuning phrases and they sing while harvest comes home leisure is enjoyed in folk dances. These also lie within the boundaries of agricultural culture.

          Most of the people in the adjoining districts of south West Bengal are agriculturists. Agricultural traditions or agricultural culture can be observed in the life of the Santals people of South-West Bengal which is to be discussed in the research study through various agricultural culture and festivals.

          The awakening of human civilization began with agricultural work. It is said that agriculture is the root of creation. This is because agriculture is closely intertwined with creation and culture of South-West Bengal. The harvest rites in vogue in both Rarh region and the whole of South-West Bengal are also deserving of our attention. The offering of sacrifices to the corn spirits understood to have been the protectors of agriculture and crop production was intended to pacify those spirits – a fact which seldom passed unnoticed by the people of Bengal. Moreover, previously the people of Bengal were not unaware of the prevalence of sacrifice even human sacrifice in the world for the productivity of the soil and vegetation. The tradition still holds sway. Ere long, some cases of human sacrifice in existence among the aboriginals in Bengal like rain charms arrested the attention of Hunter. At present, animal sacrifices to those corn spirits much too common in rural Bengal are aimed at gaining bumper crops. In fact, the magical powers of blood are being deeply rooted into primitive mind since time out of mind. With the progress of civilisation, human sacrifices of the past have given way to animal sacrifices like those of buffaloes, goats, pigs, chickens etc. This is a general phenomenon.