Tribal residing across the coal and steel belt (Dhanbad-Bokaro) of Jharkhand are gearing up for the harvest festival ‘Tusu’. This festival is dedicated to Goddess Tusu for which people throngs on the bank of river for a lot of rituals. ‘Mela’ were also observed here on the bank of the Damoder River which draws the maximum crowd every year.
The three days festival will kick off on 12 January and continue till 14 January, while in few parts it will be observed till a week, said Akash Munda a resident of Chandankiyari village.
Makara Sankranti depict the auspicious harvest season, the girls of every peasant family participate in Tusu Parab with the hope that the Goddess will shower holy bless on her. On this auspicious eve various tribal groups carried the idol of Goddess Tusu for immersion. The festival basically celebrated as a harvest carnival, with traditional fanfare and jollity, he said.
Tusu is a unique festival of tribals, primarily celebrated by unmarried tribal girls of Jharkhand and West Bengal and Orissa; this festival is noted for its colorful songs, which express the stories and the experiences of livelihood, he said. Anand Mahato a resident of Telidih Chas said, Melas are the traditional part of Tusu, it is organised with an aim to bring the traditional tribal culture and tribal artisans to the limelight.
“Tusu Parab derived its origin from the cultural roots of Birbhum district; celebrated during the holy occasion of Makara Snakranti and performed only by the girls,” added Mahato.
The young girls prepared the idols of Goddess Tusu with clay and later go to a nearby river where they then sanctify themselves by taking a dip. After taking a bath, the females start praising the Goddess by singing various local songs. These very songs are known as Tusu in Bengal.