Raja (pronounced RAW-JAW) is a unique festival of
Odisha. It probably is the only such festival anywhere in the world that
explicitly celebrates womanhood. The name of the festival is derived from rajahswala – meaning a menstruating
woman. The festival is supposed to be the menstruating period of Mother Earth
or Bhoodevi – considered to be wife of Lord Jagannath.
A majority of mass festivals across India have some
kind of association with agriculture. Raja is no exception. It marks the advent
of monsoon and the earth soaking the first drops of rain making it wet. This is
symbolized as the menstruation period and celebrated because this prepares the
soli for agriculture, just as the menstruation marks the readiness of a woman
for motherhood. It symbolizes fertility.
Raja is celebrated for three days around the Mithuna
Sankranti—the day that marks the transmigration of the Sun to the zodiac sign
(constellation) of Mithuna or gemini. Raja festivals starts a day prior to the
Sankranti and ends the day after Sankranti—thus making it a three-day festival.
This first day is called the Paheli Raja
– literally meaning the first day of Raja; the second day is called Raja
Sankranti and the third day is called Bhoodahaor simply Sesha (last) Raja. The
fourth day, though not exactly part of the same festival, is called BasumatiSnanan
or BasumatiGadhua literally meaning the bath of the Mother Earth, marking the
end of the period.
It is one of the very few major festivals that are
celebrated according to solar calendar. Most other festivals in Odisha are
celebrated according to the lunar calendar.
Celebration
Unlike other festivals that are all about worshipping
and rituals, Raja is all about pure celebration and merry making. In fact,
women do not worship; do not do much of household chores, do not walk barefoot.
Traditionally, they did not take bath as well, but that is changing.
People take special care not to hurt the earth; all
agricultural activities are explicitly prohibited.
There are some ‘essential’ components of celebration all
to do with fun and food. The most important ones
RAJA
DOLI (swing) - Swinging on swings tied to large trees is a major part of the
celebration
- PODAPITHA - a special type of cake prepared through roasting, a unique food item of Odisha
- PANA – a special type of paan or betel leaf with various ingredients mostly spices and sweets inside it. Making in various ways with different shapes and sizes is considered a desirable skill.
Another special attraction is the Rajadoli Gita or the song
of Raja.
It goes like this
Banastedakilagaja
Barashakethareasichhi raja lo
Gheninuasajabaja
It roughly means
The
elephant is calling in the forest
Raja
has come once in a year
Bringing
with it new ways of preparedness (make-up)
It may be noted here that Odisha was known for
abundance of elephants in its forests. The king of Odisha was called Gajapati.
While menstruation was considered a taboo in most
cultures and menstruating women are not allowed to enter places of worship even
today a full-fledged festival celebrating this biological phenomenon reflects
the evolved and mature outlook of the Odia people.
Sh. Shyamanuj Das
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