Celebrating Mother Earth
In Odisha, we have a tradition of celebrating three days of festivities dedicated to Mother Earth. Probably no other region practices a festival like this. This festival called Raja Parba starts a day before Mithuna Sankranti, called Pahili (first) Raja.
The preparation for the festival starts a day before and that’s called Sajabaaja. The second day is called Raja Sankranti and the third day after Sankranti is called the Sesha Raja.
A symbol of fertility
Raja Parba also celebrates womanhood. For three days Mother Earth is considered to be menstruating as this symbolizes fertility. That’s why for all three days of Raja, the soil is treated with utmost gentleness. All the agricultural works remain suspended. No one walks upon the soil. Young girls and women are treated as a symbolic representation of the earth. Swings are decorated with leaves and flowers for young girls and women to swing on.
Girls are presented with new clothes and all other beauty accessories. Traditional foods like Poda Pitha (baked rice cake with jaggery, coconut, cardamom, etc.) are a must-have delicacy during Raja Parba. Many other mouth-watering traditional Odia delicacies are made and served in every family.
Basumati Snana
On the fourth day, Basumati Snana (bathing of the earth) is observed. The traditional grinding stone is used as a representative of the earth. Turmeric paste is applied to it and then it gets bathed. After that, it is decorated with sandalwood paste, sindoor (vermillion), and flowers, along with other tools used in agriculture.
Prasad is offered and everyone prays to Mother Earth for a bumper harvest. Slowly the traditional ways of celebration are taking a back seat but the rituals are still followed with all its authentic ways and sanctity.
Removing the taboo around menstruation
Raja Parba is also a festival that takes the taboo away from menstruation. Just imagine a child being taught about the Raja Parba. It sensitizes the child and makes him or her understand how sensitive Mother Earth is. A deep appreciation for the environment is built into each of these festivals.
In India, the Earth is celebrated as a Goddess, rivers and animals are worshiped. The Indian way of living is truly a sustainable way of living.
Fading festivals of Odisha
Colonel J. C. Mohanti (retd.) wrote about Raja Parba in the Fading Festivals of Odisha, “Though basically Raja is a festival of young girls, it is also an agro-based festival. During the previous summer months, the parched fields were plowed making use of occasional summer showers and paddy seeds were broadcast. This Sankranti, heralds the barsha rutu (rainy season). To celebrate the advent of rains, this joyous festival is observed for four consecutive days.”
Raja doli
“One of the main attractions of Raja festival is the doli (swing). Because of this, it is also called a swing festival. Dolis are fixed to the branches of mango or banyan trees and are decorated with flower garlands. They are of different types e.g. Ram doli, Charki doli Pata doli and Dandi doli etc. to name a few, depending upon their construction and seating arrangements.”
Bringing the community together
“The Raja festival had a unifying impact on society. The getting together of men, women, and children and the exchange of raja pithas amongst friends and neighbors contributed to a harmonious living and removed misunderstandings.” However, he laments, “With changing times, the festivities during the Raja festival are progressively fading. Like many other Odia festivals, it is not observed with the same spirit and enthusiasm. Perhaps in the villages, the festivity might be observed with its earlier tempo.”
This article was first published on www.esamskriti.com, and authored by Bindu Krishnan.