Odisha’s “Raja” Festival Is Breaking All Barriers To Celebrate Menstruation. Way To Go!

India talks about development, but when it comes to throwing out age-old nonsensical social customs out of the window, we choose to completely support it.

Social customs like considering menstruation a taboo have caught us by our throat, in the sense that it’s hampering our progressive thinking and girls are still referred to as “untouchables” when they menstruate.

But, Odisha is breaking all taboos like these in a wonderful way. In fact, they have a festival named “Raja” (pronounced as Ro-jo) which celebrates the monthly cycle of women.

Every Odia household immerses itself in this festive spirit. Isn’t that wonderful?

It’s celebrated over a period of three days in the month of June and ploughing is forbidden completely during this time period. Unmarried girls are seen passing time on swings hanging from trees.

So that they can revel in this jubilant time period!

Other than this, the homes are decorated with flowers and people celebrate this with folk music and dance.

This custom treats womanhood as a blessing and personifies Earth as a mother (mother Earth) and it celebrates the Earth’s preparation of bearing a crop as it gets ready for harvest.

This process is analogous to women’s menstrual cycle – where the uterus lets go of the old eggs and makes way for the new ones.

So you see, it’s believed that mother Earth is undergoing her menstrual cycle and hence, there’s no ploughing.

Isn’t it a welcome change? Festivals like these should be celebrated in more parts of the country.

A social activist, Manoj Jena said this:

Way to go, Odisha!

In the society that sees menstruation in a bad light, festivals like these get me stoked and make me believe in a better world!

News Source: Hindustan Times

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