The most important festival of Orissa, Rajo is generally associated with the farmers and is celebrated during the onset of monsoons.Also known as Mithuna Sankranti, Raja generally celebrate on the first day of the month of Asadha (June-July) from which the rainy season starts, thus moistening the summer parched soil and making it ready for productivity. Though celebrated all over the state it is more enthusiastically observed in the coastal districts of Orissa.
kumari 's are celebrating raja in rajo doli
The first day is
called Pahili Raja, second is day is called raja sankaranti (Proper Raja) and third is Basi Raja or Raja Tola(Past
Raja).In some places however there is a custom of celebrating the fourth
Raja also known as the “Mahalaxmi Gadhua Puja”.Conceiving mother Laxmi to be a woman on menstruation, which is a sign
of fertility, she is given rest for all these three days. As such all
agricultural activities remain suspended during these three days of
celebration.
Rajo podo pitha
Rajo Pana
It is a festival of
the unmarried girls;the potential mothers. Girls are forbidden from all kinds
of manual work during these three days of Rajo-festival. They don’t carry
water, cut vegetables, and sweep the houses. Neither do they sew clothes, grind
grains, comb hair, walk in bare foot etc. During all these three days, they are
seen in the best of dresses and decorations spending time visiting their
friends or moving up and down on improvised swings. Special songs meant to be
sung during these days only, can be heard everywhere. Though anonymous and
composed extempore, much of these songs, through seer beauty of diction and
sentiment, have earned permanence and have gone to make the very substratum of
Orissa’s folk-poetry.
Almost every Orissa
village transforms into a great melee of colors as traditionally everybody is
required to adorn new robes. Another common sight during these times are those
of swings which naturally come up in every nook and corner of the villages.
The entire surrounding
of the villages turn into a cauldron of ricocheting songs that go up with the
oscillating swing. The festival is also associated with the Oriya delicacy of
"Pitha" (dough cakes)which is prepared in almost all household.
Rajo Campaign:
A regional odia (sarthak) channel also continuing a
campaign called “Rajo Queen” only
ladies can participate in this show. At first they are taking audition then participant
are performing many task like make up , different hair style, making raja pana
or pith at the end of show one of them selected the
judges are taking audition of the participants
During the three days
women are given a break from household work and time to play indoor games.
Girls decorate themselves with new fashion or traditional Saree and
Alatha in feet. All people abstain from walking barefoot on earth. Generally
various Pithas are made of which Rajo pana Podopitha,and Chakuli Pitha are main. People play a lot of indoor and
outdoor games. Girls play swings tied on tree branches whereas aged ladies
play Cards and Ludo.Many villages organise Kabbadi matches among young men. The Raja gita (a folk
song sung by the people is:
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ବନସ୍ତେ ଡାକିଲା ଗଜ,
ବରଷକେ ଥରେ ଆସିଛି ରଜ, ଆସିଛି ରଜ ଲୋ ଘେନି ନୂଆ ସଜବାଜ ॥ ରଜ ଦୋଳି କଟ କଟ, ମୋ ଭାଇ ମଥାରେ ସୁନା-ମୁକୁଟ, ସୁନା ମୁକୁଟ ଲୋ ହେଉଥାଏ ଝକମକ ॥ |
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