Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], June 14 (ANI): A three-day festival 'Raja Parba', which celebrates the onset of monsoons and earth's womanhood commenced across Odisha on Friday.
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Aparajita Sarangi participated in the opening of Raja Parba.
One of the women who participated in the festival said, "Raja Parba is a hugely celebrated festival. This is a festival of the women... These three days are considered as menstruation for Mother Earth. During these three days, we worship Mother Earth and farmers do not cultivate in this time. These three days are for greenery and we eat various authentic dishes of Odisha especially 'Paan'."
The festival, which started as a tribal practice is based on the belief that Mother Earth menstruates for those three days and she is given a ceremonial bath on the fourth day.
It is believed that the mother Goddess Earth or the divine wife of Lord Vishnu undergoes menstruation during the first three days. The fourth day is called as Vasumati gadhua or the ceremonial bath of Bhudevi. The term Raja has come from Rajaswala (meaning a menstruating woman) and during the medieval period, the festival became more popular as an agricultural holiday remarking the worship of Bhudevi, who is the wife of lord Jagannath. A silver idol of Bhudevi is still found in Puri Temple aside from Lord Jagannatha.
As part of the celebrations, girls wear new dresses, enjoy the 'Doli Jhula' and savour traditional delicacies with some notable dishes being 'Podo Pitha', 'Manda Pitha' and 'Arisha Pitha'.
As long as the festival goes on, no agricultural activity like ploughing or sowing takes place for it is believed that Mother Earth goes through rejuvenation during these three days.
The first, second and third days of 'Raja Parba' are called 'Pahili Rajo', 'Mithuna Sankranti', and Bhu Daaha' or 'Basi Raja', respectively.
The fourth day which marks the ceremonial bath is called 'Vasumati Snana.' Conducted around mid-June every year, men also participate in this festival with full fervour. (ANI)
