Why the time is so slow Slower than a snail Or a winter cloud Never moving an inch Like someone paused it The endless persistency Killing me softly Days are okay But nights are never-ending Giving me nightmares And chilling down the bones..!
‘Bandana’ is a harvest festival celebrated by Kudumis of North Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam for three days during #Deepavali.
Derived from ‘ବନ୍ଦାଣ‘ which is transliterated to Doing Aarti, in Bandana Kudumis worship their cattle with great enthusiasm in the cattleshed itself, which is also known as ‘Guhal Puja’.
On the eve of Deepavali, the cattle are freshly washed and then applied oil and sindoor on their horns. Some decor them with flowers and clothes. All the agricultural equipments are also washed and decorated.
On the day of Deepavali all the cattle of the village are gathered together in the afternoon. Gotha/Gothani Puja is celebrated on the field where all the cattle are taken for grazing everyday. There an egg is placed in the middle of the field and all the cattle are directed towards it by the villagers. Which cow or bullock breaks the egg is crowned by the villagers and the owner arranges a feast for the villagers with meat/chicken and rice. Leta (ଲେଟ) is also a unique recipe made up of chicken and rice flour mixed together, which is served during this.
The next morning all villagers go on a procession dancing to the tunes of Madala and Jhumar songs (folk song from North Odisha) and go to each house of the village. This ritual is known as Dhinguan.
Dhinguan on Bandana parab
After the Dhinguan ritual is completed, all the villagers return to their respective houses. Women of the house make a temporary earthen stove inside the cattleshed. They make Pithas (Sweets) there and offer the very first ones to the cattle. This ritual is known as Guhal Puja.
The festival is celebrated as a way to thank the cattle for helping in farming and to welcome the newly harvested paddy back home.
Woman worshipping cattle
Budi/Budhi Bandana (ବୁଡ଼ି/ବୁଢ଼ୀ ବନ୍ଦଣା) celebrated on the last day of the three day festival. This is specifically dedicated to the elder ones of the family.
In some places after all rituals are done cultural programs are arranged by the villagers and people dance on folk songs on the beats of Madala. With that this unique festival comes to an end.
Picture credit & Info: Kamal Lochan/Twitter, Jyotiranjan Mahanta, Google