Celebration of Tusu festival is
not just limited to Bengal but as extended reach to Jharkhand, Orissa and Assam
too. While the celebratory rituals followed in Assam is way different from
Bengal, so it is with both Jharkhand and Orissa as well. A close comparison
between the celebration style adhered in Bengal and Jharkhand is something
worth considering. In Bengal, while it is most commonly observed Purulia
district whereas in Jharkhand, the regions celebrating this festival are Tamar,
Raidih and Bundu. This entire belt of Jharkhand is well known for their
movement for India’s Independence.
Celebration of in Jharkhand
Coming to the rituals followed
in Jharkhand during tusu festival, the most prominent one is the decoration of
a bamboo or wooden frame by the unmarried girls. They use colored paper for the
same and offer it to the nearby hilly river as a gift. Tusu puja here is also
celebrated in the name of unmarried girls. Though not enough historical
evidence is available for tusu celebration in Jharkhand but a huge rich
collection of songs filled with the true taste of life is left behind. These
songs reveal the innocence and simplicity of the tribal people here.
Celebration in Bengal
Stepping towards Bengal’s
Purulia, here the tribals begin preparation of the festival a month before the
arrival of Pous. Here people look towards Tusu as Goddess Lakshmi and hence
they worship her for a better harvest. For the tribals here, tusu parab is
synonymous to Sankranti. The festival here commences from the mid-week of
December i.e. on the first day of pous when nabanna (made with the new paddy)
is offered to Irti-another form of the Jaathel festival of the Santhals. Tusu
festival in Bengal eventually ends with Makar Sankranti. In Bengal, both married and unmarried women
take part in the festival but certain rituals are specific for the unmarried
girl folk only. On a whole, the rituals of tusu festival in both Bengal and
Jharkhand are worth viewing.
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