Bhubaneswar: As the three-day Raja Parba was celebrated with great enthusiasm and grandeur across Odisha, people from the state residing abroad also observed the festival amid traditional fervour and geiety.
Odias settled in different countries celebrated the Raja Parba in a spirited way to cherish the rich art, traditions, heritage and culture of the state.
Reports from different parts of the globe including Australia, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia showed that people from Odisha organised a host of colourful events in several places to celebrate the annual festival amid a spirit of camaraderie.
In Australia, Odias organised a number of programmes, including painting and music competitions among children, as part of the celebrations.
Vibrant fairs were also organised in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia offering a plethora of activities, including games, competitions, dance, music, and endless fun and frolic, ensuring a thrilling experience for visitors of all ages throughout the day.
Apart from enjoying pitha, paan & doli swinging, women and girls also played community games like Puchi Khela while men enjoy Pasa Khela.
Food stalls were also set up offering mouth-watering delicacies. The participants savoured a variety of cakes (pithas) – Poda Pitha’, ‘Manda’, ‘Kakara’, ‘Arisha’ and ‘Chakuli’.
As the Raja festival is said to be incomplete without chewing on delectable paan, betel leaf stalls were also set up in keeping with the cultural tradition during the celebrations.
