ରଜ ଶୁଭେଚ୍ଛା Raja or Rajo ( ରଜ ) is the festival to celebrate the beginning of solar month, to welcome monsoon on mother earth, and the agricultural year – The aroma of first showers of monsoon moistening the soil dried with scorching heat to prepare it for productivity is really intoxicating What is more appealing about this festival is the regard for womanhood – this festival is observed in respect of the constructive, productive and fertile quality of womanhood – from mother earth (Basudha or Basumati) to women of every age For three consecutive days Basudha or Mother Earth is supposed to be in her menstrual period, preparing for the productivity of next agricultural season and allowed to take rest along with women – all agricultural operations remain suspended for three days during the festival to respect and rest mother earth - Women of all age group granted leisure from their busy schedule of works (generally household chores) chore – A strict no no to any kind of cutting, grinding, tearing anything apart, cooking or simply any work to trouble women and mother earth – For three- whole days women just put on their best and new attires, alataa in feet (abstain from walking barefoot on earth) and enjoy decorated swings with Paan, Pitha (traditional cakes mostly made of grind rice) and pray to Mother Earth for a good harvest for their welfare What men do during Rajo?? Well even they donot do any hard physical labour though as most of such works like cutting, digging, ploughing might harm anything feminine like mother earth or mother nature – so they just have to do minor household chores that women do every day – like cooking, chopping vegetables, etc (How I love that!!) and not to forget - to prepare Rajo swings and Rajo Paan for the ladies :) Apart from enjoying Rajo swings tied on tree branches and merry making with some folk and some impromptu songs, many other indoor and outdoor country games like cards, Ludo, Kho-kho and Kabbadi are also played and competed among village youths - Times are spend in visiting neighborhoods, friends and relatives
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 05:17:15 +0000
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