Raja ‘Paan’ enjoys a special place during Raja festival in Odisha. Love for Paan during Raja Parba is unmatched, betel shops too witness a brisk business as the craze for Raja Paan reaches its zenith in Pahili Raja.
Raja Parba is completely dedicated to girls and women. During the festival, young unmarried girls refrain from cutting vegetables, cooking or doing any other work, neither are they allowed to walk barefoot. They take complete rest and enjoy the three-day-long festival to their fullest. They look their best in these three days in new clothes.
Who doesn’t know about the famous RAJA PARBA in Odisha? But how many of you are aware that there is another festival called Ambubachi Mela held at Kamakhya temple in Assam which also celebrates womanhood, fertility and devotion, showcasing the unique traditions of India.
The inmates were deprived of celebrating Raja for last two years due to covid restrictions imposed by the state government.
Even in 21st century, people even refrain from talking about periods, mostly assuming that such conversations may invite discomfort to the listener. A menstruating woman is considered impure in many parts of India even today.