Karma

Karma of Bihar is a most important folk dance among the tribal populace of Bihar. Bihar's karma dance is associated with the karma tree representing fertility and plenty and continues on for three days beginning on the eleventh day of 'Bhadra'. Karma dances are performed by almost all tribal communities. The Mundas, the Gonds, the Santhals and the Oraons, all perform karma dances. They can sometimes be arranged out of season to celebrate some significant occasion of the village, although that is quite rare.

The Karma festival is an occasion of great joy among the tribal communities of Bihar. Every member of the tribal villages actively participate in the celebrations. The drinking of brewed rice beer is an integral part of the festival. The karma tree represents fertility and plenty and is at the vary center of activities. The fertility of the tree is believed to lead to fertility among the tribes and in turn the fertility of the lands.

Karma in Bihar are danced together by men and women. The celebrations begin with a ritualistic worship of the karma tree. Then the women offer handfuls of barley to their male counterparts, who in turn offer them leaves of trees. They are both meant to represent fertility. The men take the tribal drums and start beating them to traditional rhythms and the women forming a separate line dance stooping low to the ground. Then they start approaching each other. Leaps, jumps and extremely intricate footworks carried out in smooth unison, characterize the karma dance in Bihar. The crescendo is reached when the men and the women dance with their arms around each others' waists and sashay around the karma tree placed at a sacred place in the midst of the village.