Malkangiri, 30th July 2025:In tribal-dominated regions, local tribal communities celebrate 22 different festivals across 12 months. Among them, Uans (or Uansi) Festival is one of the most significant. This unique agricultural festival is celebrated with the hope of a good harvest, protection of crops from pests and wild animals, and for the well-being of the family. It is not an exaggeration to call this a farming-based festival.
The festival is generally celebrated in the month of Shravan, starting seven days from the new moon of Chitalagi Amavasya. During this time, rice seedlings in the fields have already grown into saplings with tender green leaves and are often prone to pest attacks.
As a tradition, tribal farmers perform rituals in their farmlands, where they plant Kendu twigs, offer turmeric leaves, food offerings, and light lamps and incense to worship the rice plants. They also worship Mother Earth, along with village deities and ancestral gods. To protect their domesticated animals such as cows, goats, and sheep, they are bathed and cleaned thoroughly, offered jaggery and rice cakes, and in some cases, special pithas (rice cakes) are cooked and floated in nearby rivers and ponds.
In Malkangiri district headquarters’ areas like Talasahi, Pradhaniguda, and the surrounding regions of Chalanguda and Tandiki, tribal farmers celebrated this festival with enthusiasm and grandeur. Farmers ventured into nearby forests to collect Kendu twigs, Shatavari, Dashamoola roots, and other medicinal herbs, while also bringing turmeric leaves from their backyards.
They went to their fields with their families, where they planted the Kendu twigs in the center of the farmland. Near the rice saplings, they performed rituals using items like milk, Deobadani (sacred grass), Rasna (a medicinal plant), Diuna, Baatri, Bhelua, and Kendu branches. After the rituals, the twigs were firmly planted in their field.
This festival has been celebrated since ancient times, handed down through generations. Its purpose is to ensure a bountiful harvest, prevent wild animals from harming the crops, avoid crop diseases and pests, and bring peace and prosperity to the family. According to farmers from the old tribal village of Podapadar, near Goiparbat in Malkangiri, Uans is a deeply rooted traditional agricultural festival.