Ranchi Sarhul Tribal Spring Festival Sal Flower

Sarhul is the most important festival of Jharkhand's Munda, Oraon, and Ho tribes, celebrated in March-April when the sal forest blooms, marking the tribal new year and the beginning of the agricultural cycle. In Ranchi's Munda villages, the pahan (village priest) performs rituals at the sacred jaher grove — a preserved patch of original forest — propitiating the village boundary spirit with offerings of mahua liquor and rice, then distributing sal flowers to all households. The festival is characterised by communal dancing and singing by men and women in gender-separate circles wearing sal flower garlands, and the Ranchi city parade of tribal youth in traditional dress has become a major public event showcasing Jharkhand's tribal cultural identity.