Cherchera Festival

Chhattisgarh, a state in India, celebrates its annual harvest festival of Cher Chera, a symbol of the state’s glorious tradition of charity and social harmony. The festival is celebrated on the full moon day of the Pausha month of Hindu calendar. During this festival, grains are donated in the belief that sharing part of the produce would ensure that no one ever went hungry.

Background of the Festival

• There are many lores associated with Cher Chera, one of which is about Lord Shiva who begged for the hand of Goddess Parvati. On this day, begging is not looked down upon. In fact, during Cher Chera, everyone, including the rich and the poor, visits each other’s homes, seeking alms.
• It is also believed that the festival celebrates a tradition that began with two sisters, Pandri Dai and Pungar Dai, also revered as Annapoorna Daata. The sisters wanted every village to have a granary that would ensure no one ever suffered shortage of grains.

Significance of the Festival

• The traditional Cherchera festival is celebrated on the full moon night of the Paush Hindu calendar month in the happiness of taking the crops to their homes after cultivation. According to mythological belief, on this day, Lord Shankar begged from Mata Annapurna, so people used to donate green vegetables along with paddy on this day.
• The festival is also a symbol of generosity and destroying ego, as accepting charity is seen as destroying one’s ego.

Celebrations and Donation

• The festival is celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm and CM Baghel, the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, extended wishes to all the citizens of the state on the occasion. He stated that the government has declared a holiday on all festivals and they also celebrate all the festivals at CM House.
• The amount donated in Cherchera is spent for public welfare. People from every class, including farmers, donate food grains. With the blessings of Lord Balaji, there has been a very good yield of paddy in the state. The government has bought 85 lakh metric tonnes of paddy and immediate payment has been given to the farmers.

Political Views

• On the occasion of Cherchera festival, CM Baghel demanded from the governor to sign the reservation bill for the young generation of Chhattisgarh as they have to get admission in college and government jobs. He also highlighted the ban on it and how they are facing loss, and that the governor should think about that.
• CM Baghel also reacted to BJP continuously raising the conversion issue. He stated that he has a list of how many churches were built during the BJP’s rule and that churches were built only after conversion. He further said, “BJP is unable to find issues. They have only two issues, which is conversion and communalism in which they have mastery but I want to make it clear that none of their conspiracies will be successful.”

Cherchera festival is one of the most significant festivals in the state of Chhattisgarh and holds great significance in terms of tradition, culture, and generosity. The festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm, and donations are made to ensure that no one goes hungry. The festival also serves as a reminder of the state’s glorious tradition of charity and social harmony. The event is celebrated with cultural and traditional customs, and is celebrated by people from all over the state, making it a significant and meaningful event.