The withdrawing of winter
entails a change in food habits and intake of nourishing and rich food.
Therefore this festival holds traditional cultural significance. It is
astronomically important for devotees who worship the sun god at the great
Konark temple with fervor and enthusiasm as the sun starts its annual swing
northwards. It is the day when the sun starts to travel northwards marking the decline of winter.From this day onwards days become lengthier and warmer and so the
Sun-God is worshiped on this day as a great benefactor.
In the districts of
Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Sundargarh where the tribal population is more than
forty per cent, the festival is celebrated with great joy and merriment. They
have been celebrating this festival with great enthusiasm. Moreover, the time
of the festival is best suited for them as all agricultural operations are over
by that time and each family possess something after the harvest. Preparation
for the festival starts much earlier. All the houses are cleaned and neatly
plastered. They are painted with three colours viz. White, red and black. New
clothes are worn by young and the old alike. Sweet cakes and a meal with
meat-curry is a must in every household. Liquor is freely consumed by men and
women They sing and dance and enjoy life for about a week. Young girls of
certain communities mostly Kudumi, Bastiti, Rajual etc. worship 'Tushu', a
female deity and immerse it in the river or tank singing songs of a special
variety. In the temple of Lord Jagannath this festival is observed as
'Uttarayana Yatra'.
Tusu Parab is a dance
performed during the Makar Sankranti in many tribal districts of Odisha. This dance is dedicated to Goddess Tusu
and is performed by young girls. During the Hindu month of Paush , girls gather every evening to sing songs. These songs are generally
referred to as ‘Tusu’. On the day of the Makara Sankranti festival in this
month, girls go in groups to a nearby tank or river. They carry along with them
a small clay idol of Goddess Tusu or cow-dung balls representing the deity. The
girls take a ceremonial bath in the water and then make offerings of rice to
the deity. They sing songs near the riverbank. The songs are accompanied
by the Tusu Parab dance, the movements of which are simple. This dance is
performed in groups. No musical instruments are used while performing this
dance. The girls compete with each other during the performance. Kite-flying competitions were organised in places like Cuttack
and other towns with fun and enthusiasm.
In Odisha , people prepare MAKARA CHAULA which
is prepared with uncooked newly harvested rice, banana, coconut, jaggery,
Chhena, milk, different fruits , ginger, black pepper and honey
as naivedya to gods and goddesses.
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| MAKAR CHAULA |
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