Rairakhol: Like many other agrarian festivals celebrated across the state, ‘Pushpuni’ used to be celebrated by the people of western and southern Odisha.
‘Pushpuni’ falls on the Puni (Full Moon) day of the month of Pus (Sanskrit Pusha) and has its roots in the age-old agrarian culture. It is actually an occasion during which the families of farmers celebrated their paddy harvest. However, with the passage of time the festival has lost much of its charm and punch.
The farmers of Western Odisha cultivate paddy during the monsoon and harvest it in autumn. After that they bring home the yield with a great sense of joy and satisfaction.
This makes them rejoice with families and friends. On the full moon day of the month of Pausha they cook rice, tasty dishes, especially goat meat, and have it along with rice pudding and cakes. Families dine together and make merry. They share their dishes with other families and friends too.
In the old days, the men used to play Chhur, Gudu, and Gourbaadi. Some engage themselves in cock-fights, ram-fights etc. Likewise, the women used to play Saatgaati and Kansaadi indoors or Humo-Bauli outdoors.
As per tradition, all farmhands, herdsmen and domestic helps used to be given some money in advance. They are also given new clothes, sweets, cakes and household utensils. This tradition continues every year and cements the bond between masters and workers.
Similarly, on this day the village priest takes bath early in the morning and collects money and sweets from all households for conducting puja.
On the day of Pushpuni, villages are filled with the aroma of sweets, cakes and non-vegetarian delicacies. There is also an age old tradition of villagers going around in groups asking for ‘Chher Chhera’.
‘Chher Chhera’ is usually a gift the villagers give in the form of paddy or sweets. ‘Chhera Chhera’ is collected in most areas before full moon day.
“Nowadays traditions have become relics of the past. We no longer celebrate festivals in the way we used to do years ago,” villagers said.
They blamed modern farming methods for festivals going into decline. Machinery has replaced farmhands. Now, landlords harvest paddy using machines and sell the grain on the spot. The number of cows has also started decreasing in villages. These are the reasons why the ‘Pushpuni’ festival is fast fading and becoming a thing of the past.
PNN
