Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Raja Parba
Mains level: NA
The Prime Minister has extended his greetings to the people of Odisha for the unique Raja Parba festival.
Match the pair based question can be asked from festivals as such with pairs of name and celebrating state. Recently, the following festivals were also in the news: Ambubachi Mela, Thrisoor Puram, Meru Jatara, Nagoba Jatara etc.
Also, note the similarities between the Raja Parba and Ambubachi Mela …
About Raja Parba Festival
- Raja Parba is Odisha’s three-day unique festival celebrating the onset of monsoon and the earth’s womanhood.
- As a mark of respect towards the earth during her menstruation days, all agricultural works, like ploughing, sowing is suspended for the three days.
- Raja Sankranti is the first day of the Ashara month.
- It is celebrated on the day prior to the Sankranti, (Pahili Raja), the day of Sankranti, and the day after, known as Bhu Daha or ‘Basi Raja.
- The festival is essentially the celebration of the earth’s womanhood.
- It is believed that during this time the Mother Earth or Bhudevi undergoes menstruation.
- The fourth day is the day of the ‘purification bath’.
- As it is a celebration of womanhood, a lot of the focus is on young women, who wear new clothes, apply ‘Alata’ on their feet and enjoy folk songs while swinging on decorated rope swings.
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