Surguja: When Diwali was celebrated across India on Sunday, a group of tribals in a Chhattisgarh district chose to stay away from the festival of lights. Not that they are averse to joining the festivity but their tradition stipulates them to celebrate Diwali on Ekadashi, which falls exactly 11 days after Diwali is celebrated.
On Diwali which is called Devuthani Sohrai in their language, tribals of Surguja worship goddess Lakshmi. On this day, people of tribal community give special emphasis on cleanliness to invoke the goddess of wealth.
"We celebrate the festival of Diwali on the day of Ekadashi. On this day we make the mark of the cow's footprint at our homes. It symbolises the arrival of Lakshmi," Om Prakash Nagesia, a local, said.
The tribals of the Surguja region worship the 'mother cow' as goddess Lakshmi. This is the reason why on this day the tribals here make the replica of cow's footprints at their houses. They invite the goddess to visit every household by making marks of cow's feet on the house. They offer rice and sweets in the courtyard. Apart from this, they worship the goddess by offering tuberous roots and pumpkins.
"On this day of Diwali, we do not even burst firecrackers," Suresh Yadav, another villager said. ETV Bharat interacted with Ranjit Sarathi, an expert on Surguja and tribal folk culture, on this tradition of tribals. He said, "Devuthani means the gods' rise on this day. All the auspicious works start from this day. In Surguja, the tribal people celebrate this day as Diwali which they call Sohrai. Guru-shishya or mentor-disciple tradition is also followed in the village. The disciples present pumpkins to their mentors who impart knowledge to disciples on this day."
