Three Days Of Traditional Rituals And Harmony: The Yadavs Of Odisha Celebrate Love And Life Of Lord Krishna On Holi

Bhubaneswar: Holi, the festival is colours, is celebrated differently across the country. In Odisha, the Gopals or Yadavs, who consider themselves the descendants of Lord Krishna celebrate the festival for three days as per ancient tradition.

The celebrations start from Dola Purnima and involves the celebration of the union of Radha and Krishna. Be it carrying the Dola Kalash or playing Loudi, the celebrations are aligned with rituals associated with Lord Krishna. On Dola Purnima, women from Yadav households wear new clothes and immerse bamboo pots in ponds. The pot is called 'Radha Kalash' and is worshipped by priests before it is taken to the ponds for immersion. Once the Radha Kalash is immersed, a similar pot is installed in every house. At noon, the men of the Yadav families immerse the Kumbhs (pitchers) in water bodies. During the immersion ceremony, Ogal (a song) and Gopujan (worship of the cow) are performed. The kumbh too is worshipped at the village temple and installed in houses. The Gopujan involves bathing the cow is bathed in the pond or any other water body.

Members of Yadav community performing a ritual at a village in Odisha (ETV Bharat)

During the three days of festivities, pure vegetarian food along with delectable rice cakes of several varieties are cooked and relished by people of the community. The Yadavs participate in games and rituals pertaining to Radha and Krishna and play with Fagu (gulaal). On the last day of the festival, the kumbhs and kalash are decorated.

Yadav Sangh member Nishit Kumar Barik said, "Lord Krishna was born on the banks of Yadav river and the festivities are based on the Lord's birth and his life." While Holi is a festival of colours, for the Yadavs, it is a game of 'Abir' (gulaal).

Members of Yadav community carrying kumbhs (ETV Bharat)

Ashwani Das, another member of the community said the Dola festival is a major event for the Yadavs. The festival is celebrated in the month of Phaguna and involves several rituals and merrymaking. The union of Radha Krishna is celebrated as 'Fagu Milan' by the Yadavs. "The tradition of singing Ogal is fast fading into oblivion. But we are trying to keep the tradition alive," Das said.

Rabindra Mahakud of Remuna said the Dola festival signifies brotherhood. "During the three days, we not only perform rituals but also try to unite every member of the community. We spread the message of brotherhood and love just as Radha and Krishna did," he said.