Mithuna Sankranti

Mithuna Sankranti is known as Asharh in Eastern India, Aani in Sothern India and Mithunam onth in Kerala. This is the day when the sun transits from Vrishabha (Taurus) rashi to Mithuna (Gemini) rashi. These changes of the Sun are considered to be crucial according to the astrological affect and one should perform puja on this these days. This day is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm in Odisha and the festival is known as Raja Parba.

It is a four days festival where devotees welcome the rains and celebrate with joy and happiness. It is the time when unmarried girls dress themselves beautifully with ornaments and married women enjoy indoor games and take break from household work. People sing the raja gita, a popular folk song of the state. Men and women walk barefoot on earth to welcome the rain and a lot of dancing and singing takes place.

Hindu’s also believe in fasting on Mithuna Sankranti to please the Sun God and ensure that the coming months of their life are more peaceful and happy. The temple of Lord Jagannath in Odisha is decorated and devotees flock in large number to worship the Lord and his wife Bhudevi (Goddess Earth).

Rituals of the day

On this day, Lord Vishnu and goddess Earth are worshipped. People of Odisha wear traditional clothes and special puja is given to the grinding stone, which depicts the mother earth.
The stone is decorated with flowers and vermillion. It is believed that like the earth gets ready to receive rainfall, similarly young girls get prepared for marriage and pray to the almighty.
Another common ritual of Raja Parba is to tie swings on the bark of banyan tree and girls enjoy themselves swinging and singing on it. There are different kinds of swing sets that are used like ram doli, dandi doli and chakri doli.
It is said that mithuna Sankranti is very auspicious for donating clothes to the needy people.
Like all other Sankranti festival, it is sacred to pay homage to ones ancestor on this day and many people visit temples on riverbanks to perform it.
Poda-pitha is a delicacy made in Odisha especially on Raja Parba and Mithuna Sankranti, which is made with jiggery, coconut, camphor, molasses, butter, and rice powder.
One should avoid eating rice grains on this day as per rituals.