Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s unique three-day long ‘Raja’ festival usually brings with it a lot of festivities, outdoor activities and public gatherings. Easily among the most awaited festivals in the state, this year it has lost its sheen amid COVID-19 outbreak.
With the entire state in lockdown and 11 of the districts undergoing weekend shutdown, the first day of Raja known as ‘Pahili Raja’ that was to be celebrated Sunday was a damp squib. Authorities at several places including Ganjam had explicitly announced bans on public gatherings and Raja celebrations to avoid a flare-up in coronavirus cases.
With the traditional fervour gone, denizens chose to stay at homes and relish traditional delicacies. Several organizations including OTDC, Swiggy and Zomato came to the aid of people in urban areas by delivering online orders of traditional cakes and special betels popularly known as ‘Raja pana’.
With outdoor events and congregations out of sight, the swinging, folk song and dance events associated with it were largely gone. Technology, however, made up for some of the loss as organisers stepped up to host virtual sing and dance competitions on social media.
Few lucky ones with adequate space in their homes hooked up swings at their places and posted pictures on social media. Traditional ‘puchi khela’ of womenfolk and ‘pasha pali’ of men were nowhere to be seen. So was the case with famous ‘Banaste dakila gaja’ folk song associated with this festival that was nowhere to be heard.
That said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik among others took to Twitter to wish the people of the state on this occasion.
Greetings on the very special festival of Raja Parba. May this occasion strengthen the spirit of joy and brotherhood in society. I also pray for the good health and well-being of my fellow citizens.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 14, 2020
In his message, Naveen called the festival a tradition of honouring the nature, earth and women and urged the denizens to observe the festival while following the COVID-19 guidelines.
About the festival:
While the first day of this three-day-long festival is called Pahili Raja, the second day is known as Majhi Raja, the advent of the month of Asadha and is commemorated by Mithuna Sankranti and the third day is called Basi Raja. And the fourth day is known as ‘Basumati Snana’.
The word Raja is derived from Sanskrit word ‘Rajaswala’. It means a menstruating woman. So Raja Parba is the celebration of the earth’s womanhood. During these three days, it is widely believed that the mother earth is menstruating as a woman experiences. It is for this reason that agricultural work is prohibited during these three days.
Since the festival celebrates womanhood, women form a big part of the celebrations. They often take bath early in the morning with turmeric paste and dress up in traditional clothes. Grooming is another key aspect and the girls wear ‘mehndi’ on hands, ‘alata’ on feet and ‘kumkum’ on the forehead.
Then they go straight to the village orchards where different types of swings are put up. Singing Raja folk songs such as ‘Banaste Dakila Gaja’ they enjoy the festival to the fullest.
During these three days, the women do not perform household chores. Apart from swings, they indulge in playing games like ludo, bagudi, puchi etc. Another striking feature associated with the festival is that the women and girls do not walk barefoot. Instead, they wear footwear made of banana stalks.
The celebration is considered incomplete without pancakes. During these three days, aroma of delicacies like ‘poda pitha’, ‘arisa pitha’, ‘chakuli pitha’ etc fills the atmosphere. Raja pana is also an important part of the celebrations.
PNN
