The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Urbanites continue with old customs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 24, 2007
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Other States - Orissa

Urbanites continue with old customs

Sib Kumar Das

BERHAMPUR: Urbanisation creates unique markets where even leaves of common plants and grass get sold for a price. All major festivals and traditional rituals, including the worship of goddess Laxmi during the month of Margashira in Orissa are agrarian in nature. Rituals involve use of leaves and twigs of different plants. People living in the city have surely lost their contact with the nature . But they still continue with their traditional rituals.

And it has provided income source for some rural traders in the city. These small traders open up their market before festivals. Now on Wednesdays in Margashira, heavy rush is seen at markets where different leaves are sold for a price for the worship of goddess Laxmi.

They include mango twigs having seven leaves, twigs of jujube, bel and amla trees. Even bunches of doob grass, which is essential parts of a ritual are being sold at Re. 1.

The task of collecting twigs of these plants is arduous and time consuming. Even finding doob grass has become hard as grass patches have become a rare sight in city. Apart from leaves of the plants, which are considered to be auspicious for performing pujas , decorative pieces, made out of bunches of freshly harvested paddy is also part of worship of goddess Laxmi during the month of Margashira are also sold in large number in the city market. Families used to make decorative pieces from their freshly harvested paddy of Kharif season and put it at their puja place. The urbanites are keeping up the tradition of worshipping the goddess of wealth through the tradition by buying up a bunch of freshly cultivated paddy paying up to Rs. 5.

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