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Friday, Mar 21, 2008
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Cuttack braces for twin celebrations

Pradip Kumar Das

People are out to have a gala time during ‘Dola Purnima’ and Holi

CUTTACK: After a gap of nearly six months, festive days are once again here in the coastal districts of Orissa.

Particularly, the people of Cuttack district are agog with back-to-back celebrations of ‘Dola Purnima’ and Holi slated on Friday and Saturday respectively.

The festival of Dola called ‘Dola Yatra’ is actually a five-day carnival that begins on ‘Phagu Dashami’ and culminates on the full moon day. And the day following is celebrated as festival of colours – Holi. Hindus celebrate Dola Yatra with pomp and gaiety. Particularly, milkmen take a lead role in the festival.

Dola Yatra

“In this festival, the idols of Radha and Lord Krishna are carried in decorative palanquins called ‘Bibhan’ during all these five days from house to house with bhajan and kirtan and congregate at a holy place which is called melan,” says Ashok Kumar Behera, a leading organiser in eastern Cuttack. At the melan ground, a competition is organised among the kirtan groups, he informs. On the last day of the festival, the demon ‘Holika’ is burnt. This is also called ‘Mendha Kudia Podi’. People also believe that Lord Krishna burnt the demon ‘mesha’ along with its shelter on this day, Mr. Behera adds. Besides celebrations in the city, Dola Purnima is celebrated with equal fervour in rural pockets as well.

The festival of Holi, which is celebrated the day after the Dola purnima, too has its own share of importance. Makeshift stalls started dotting the city selling gulals, abirs and designer pichkaris.

Similarly, sweet shop owners are all geared up to make a brisk business during these two days as Holi is not only associated with exchange of colours but also offering of sweets. “This is a festival which everybody waits for with excitement as people greet each other with colours of love and affection,” says Raghuveer, who is all set to celebrate Holi as his exams are over. Various organisations have come up with several cultural programmes.

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