Kotpad: The Raja festival has been celebrated with much enthusiasm from the urban centers to the rural pockets of the Kotpad region. This year, special arrangements were made in village neighborhoods with great excitement. While Raja was observed across Odisha with joy, this year the festivities in villages surpassed those in urban areas.
In the villages, young girls and women enthusiastically celebrated Raja by setting up swings, pulling palas (ropes), singing traditional songs, and dancing. Contrary to past years’ discussions about declining enthusiasm for the festival, this year proved those notions wrong, as the celebration saw a revival of energy and participation.
Traditionally, girls and daughters-in-law in the villages would dress in tribal attire and sarees, adhering to ancestral customs. Now, they are seen embracing modern styles—adorning themselves in sarees with floral garlands (gajara), alta (red dye), mehndi, and other decorative items. Together with friends, they performed Raja songs and Dhemsa dance, infusing the rural ambiance with vibrant color.
This year also saw the organization of various competitions in different villages, where winners, titled as “Raja Kanyas” (Raja maidens), were honored with awards. The common discussion everywhere was that this year, the village celebration of Raja outshone that of the towns.
As Odisha’s unique folk festival Raja was celebrated in grandeur, the joy and enthusiasm visible in people’s hearts brought happiness to all.
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