Bhubaneswar: June 16: Like any other years, this year also, Odisha celebrated ‘Raja Parba’ with pomp and grandeur. Though, Cyclone Fani’s impact is still there in Odisha, people of the state enjoyed the festival as earlier years.
People welcome the festival wearing new dresses, enjoying movies and preparing Odiya Pithas. Females of the rural areas of the State are seen enjoying the festival with rope swings whereas the Males are seen busy with playing cards and other traditional outdoor games.
In cities also, many organisations, associations and clubs have made rope swings in numbers for the people to celebrate ‘Raja Parba’.
Odisha Tourism Development Corporation also has made a special arrangement at Bhubaneswar Panthanivas to celebrate this festival in a traditional way with beautiful swings, paans and different kinds of traditional Odia pithas.
Also, varieties of cultural programmes was organised in different parts of the State.
‘Raja Parba’ is a three-day long festival and second day signifies beginning of the solar month of Mithuna, which the season of rain starts.
The festival of Raja, which falls in the month of June, is being celebrated by the people of Odisha for three days. The first day is called Pahili Raja, the second day is Raja Sankranti (Mithuna Samkranti) and the third day is Bhu Daaha or Basi Raja. The fourth day is called Vasumati Snana.
As per the tradition, the real celebration starts a day before, which is called the day of Sajabaja. On the day of Sajabaja, family members cleaned the kitchen, grinding stones and spices are ground for three days.
During three days of Raja, women and girls do not do any work; wear new costumes, alata and ornamnts. They spend these three days in joyous festivity and observe customs like eating only uncooked and nourishing food especially Podapitha, do not take bath or take salt and do not walk barefoot.
The women and girls enjoy the festival with varieties of swings tied on big banyan trees and sing folk-songs like ‘Banaste Dakila Gaja…Barashake Thare Aasichhi Raja’.
As women menstruate, which is a sign of fertility, so also mother earth menstruates and these three days are said to be menstruating period of Mother earth.
In other sense, ‘Raja Parba’ is celebrated to welcome the monsoon.
