Utkal Samaj Celebrates Women’s Festival Raja
The festival is a celebration of womanhood, during which unmarried girls participate with great enthusiasm
Visakhapatnam: Utkal Sanskrutika Samaj, a premier socio-cultural organisation with 1,400 members, celebrated Raja, a popular festival of Odisha, at its premises in Daspalla Hills, Visakhapatnam, on Sunday.
Raja is a traditional festival that coincides with the onset of the monsoon season. As a mark of respect for Mother Earth, no farming activities are undertaken during the three-day festival, as it is believed that the Earth undergoes menstruation during this period.
The festival is a celebration of womanhood, during which unmarried girls participate with great enthusiasm. Dressed in new clothes, they use natural cosmetics and enjoy traditional delicacies such as poda pitha, manda pitha, and kakara pitha. Cultural programmes featuring songs and dances were organised, and the girls also enjoyed the traditional Raja Doli (swing).
The event was organised by the cultural secretary of the Samaj, Seena Mohanty. The festival was inaugurated by the Samaj president, J.K. Nayak, while general secretary Satyabrata Dwivedi coordinated the celebrations.