India is a land with a plethora of cultures, bringing with it a rainbow full of colors and customs unknown to other parts of the world. Celebrations and festivals are common in our country and if you pull out a calendar to mark each and every single one, it will be quite full, even if your work place doesn't give you leaves for it! Haha, but beyond the popularly known and elaborately celebrated festivals there are a wide number of strange festivals held in this delightfully diverse country of ours.
Sharing with you 5 super strange festivals that are purely "Made in India"!
1. Bhagoria
Where: Madhya Pradesh
The word "bhag" means to run and that gives you a slight insight into what this festival is about. And, no, we aren't observing Mr. Bolt's idea of running here! This festival is celebrated by the tribal Bhils in the Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh. In this festival a "haat" or market is organized. But mind you, the market isn't just to buy bright clothes or munch on delectable goodies. It is where young men and women of the tribe are seen.
If a man wishes to marry a woman, he puts red gulaal on her face, if she accepts, she responds by doing the same. The men can even take time to woo the girl they like (see, romance isn't dead just yet!). After their mutual acceptance, the two lovers elope. Thereafter, their families negotiate to get them married formally and accept them as husband and wife in the eyes of the society. Yes, that's right, there is a whole festival dedicated to eloping. I wonder if anyone had told Geet from Jab We Met about this, because "use toh bachpan se hi bhaag ke shaadi karne ka bohot mann tha!"
There are many myths into how this festival came into being. Some believe that Bhav and Gauri, i.e., Shiva and Parvati are to be credited for this and that is how the festival derived its name. Others say that the king Bhagore took over the region and told the menfolk in his army that they could marry the women of their choice which led to the occurrence of this festival. It is till date practiced and celebrated in full swing and sees throngs of crowds. Let there be love!
2. Karni Mata Festival
Where: Rajasthan
Located at Deshnoke, about 30 kms from Bikaner, is the Karni Mata temple. It is a nearly 600 years old temple where over 25,000 rats live and are deeply revered. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Karni, an incarnation of Goddess Durga, who established the town of Deshnoke. When she disappeared mysteriously, the temple was made in her memory and reverence. The rats in this temple can be seen in huge numbers. However, they aren't labelled as a problem here but instead make this temple a tourist attraction.
Among the rats, the white ones are considered especially holy. There is a strong belief that the white rats are a reincarnation of the goddess accompanied by her four sons. Die-hard devotees pray that upon their death they too will be re-born as a rat in the temple if their faith is strong.
So, how is the festival different from the temple's regular existence?In the bi-annual festival, the idol of the goddess is elaborately decorated with expensive jewellery and attire. The temple gates are opened at the wee hours of 4 am for the visitors to pay their respects. They not only feed milk to the rats but it is also considered auspicious to have the same milk that they offer those rats. Myth has it that this practice gets them blessings from the rats who are themselves blessed by the goddess. So, are you a Complan boy or thirsty for a taste of this milk?
3. Theyyam
Where: Kerala
Theyyam is both, a ritual art form and a festival that stems from it. The art form has 400 different forms and can be witnessed in as many 1,200 temples! The name comes from the amalgamation of two words, "Deivam" and "Aattam" which mean God and Dance respectively. Thus, this festival is known as the Dance of Gods. The ritual is believed to have been predating 500 BCE.
It includes tribal animism, i.e., worship of animals and trees, in addition to idols. Some rituals can get gory and even involve blood sacrifices. The festival allows one to witness traditional instruments such as Veekkuchenda, Elathalam, Kurumkuzal and Chenda be put in use as a part of the elaborate ritual ceremonies and performances.
So, where is the quirk? Adorned devotees dance and worship both celestial bodies and their lords. Then comes an added element of danger when performers wear 10-12 meters long crowns of hair and coconut fronds along with burning wicks tied around their waist! Walking on water may still be a magic trick but the devotees here walk on embers of fire in their devotion to the higher power. Their detailed attires, painted faces and exquisite handiwork with a dollop of danger are all a remarkable display of devotion.
4. Rural Olympics
Where: Kila Raipur, Punjab
This is the biggest rural sporting event held in our country. And when I say biggest, I mean it sees over 4,000 men and women hailing from all over the country to compete in some rather unique sports, in addition to the near million about folks that attend this event as an eager audience!
Okay, okay, I hear you, sheer numbers don't make this festival strange. Does lifting bricks with one's teeth make it strange? Or does having a tractor ride over you sound stranger? What are your thoughts on riding a bicycle in which the tire is lit with fire? Or how about pulling a vehicle with just one's hair? I mean, "surakshit kaale mere baal but Vasmol ne toh kiya kuch aur hi kamaal!"
While the bullock cart race is its biggest attraction, the festival sees a range of these offbeat sports. There's also motorcycle acrobatics, horse dance, dog races, camel race, tractor race, kabbadi, wrestling and a bunch of daredevil style stunts. While some activities certainly do sound bizarre, they don't take away from the fact that these sports test another level of strength and skill that the participants display on an exemplary level!
5. Kondugallur Bhagavathy
Where: Northern Malabar, Kerala
They say, save the best for the last, so, here I have saved the most bizarre for the last! This festival sees millions of devotees walk along with curious travellers who come to see it.
The Kodungalloor Bhagavathy Temple was not always open to members of the lower castes. The festival thus marks their furiousness over being kept away from their goddess. An upper caste member opens a red umbrella symbolizing the commencement of the festival and also the grant of permission for those from the lower rungs to enter the temple.
All devotees dress in red and throw their prasad at the idol. The Velichappads or the prophets of the temple even have their faces covered with blood. In fact, they even strike a sword against their forehead to offer their blood to the goddess. Then the devotees, prophets and attendees all sing the Bharani Pattu. It is an esoteric song that is believed to calm the goddess and prevent her from killing the world. Well, we sincerely hope that these good men and women sing louder then!
Festivals come with an aura of merriment in the air. But sometimes they also open our minds to some mind-boggling practices! So, after reading the above list, do tell, who's game for witnessing some stranger things??
If you know of any other bizarre festival, let us know in the comments below! Share your stories on Tripoto’s Clubhouse channel!
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