The social customs of the caste present some differences. In Bastar,
where they have a fairly high status, the Purait Halbas abstain from
liquor, though they will eat the flesh of clean animals and of the
wild pig. The Halbas of Raipur on the other hand, who are usually
farmservants, will eat fowls, pigs and rats, and abstain only from
beef and the leavings of others. In Bastar, Sunars, Kurmis and castes
of similar position will take water from the hands of a Halba, and
Kosaria Rawats will eat all kinds of food with them. In Chhattisgarh
the Halbas will accept water from Telis, Kahars and other like castes,
and will also allow any of them to become a Halba. In Chhattisgarh
they will take even food cooked with water from the hands of a man of
these castes, provided that they are not in their own villages. These
differences of custom are probably due to the varying social status of
the caste. In Bastar they hold land and behave accordingly, while in
Chhattisgarh they are only labourers. They do not employ Brahmans for
ceremonial purposes but have their own caste priest, known as Joshi,
while among the Kabirpanthis the local Mahant or Bairagi of the sect
takes his place.