Raipur, 12 August 2022
Bhojli festival in Chhattisgarh is celebrated on the first day of Krishna Paksha of Bhadra month with great enthusiasm in the whole of Chhattisgarh, especially in rural areas, as a symbol of good harvest and friendship.
In Chhattisgarh, preparations for the Bhojli festival start from the day of Shukla Paksha Navami of Shravan month. On this day, the seeds of crops mainly wheat, paddy, barley etc. are sown in small baskets of bamboo filled with soil (churki is spoken in Chhattisgarhi) by women at a certain place.
Bhojli’s Birwa (germination) is served daily after sowing, turmeric-water is sprinkled on Bhojli. Sevageet is sung every night.
Aarti Geet, Swagat Geet, Jagran Geet and Sirane Geet are prominent among the service songs. Bhojli is praised in all these songs.
In fact, this festival of worship of Bhojli i.e. the goddess of food is celebrated to wish good harvest to the food donors. On the second day of Rakshabandhan, the program of Bhojli immersion is done on Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha Pratham. On this day in the evening, special make-up is done by teenage girls, women wearing traditional dress. The unmarried girls go for immersion in the river or pond while visiting the village with musical instruments, keeping Bhojli in the head. Meanwhile Bhojali song is sung…..
Devi Ganga Devi Ganga Lahar Turanga, Lahar Turanga,
Tumhare Lahar Mata Bhijay Atho Ganga, Ahodevi Ganga..
They are fish without water, wind without food, service without food…, drizzle of rain without rain
, sandalwood sprinkles Devam dai jammo part of you.
On reaching the river or pond of the village, the work of raising Bhojli there is done by the brother of the relative. The last worship and aarti of Bhojli Mata is performed on the banks of the river or pond, after which it is immersed in the river. Bhojali women feel sad after immersion.
With a tweezers, the sweetness of lime will crack.
Chali Dinh Bhojli temple was gone.
Some earrings (Bhojli) are saved while performing the immersion, which are later brought home as a blessing and offered to all the temples of the village.
Bhojli festival is also considered as the festival of friendship. On this day, people have a tradition of changing Bhojli by exchanging Bhojli (earrings) with each other. In this way, Bhojli festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm in the form of a festival of good harvest and friendship in the whole of Chhattisgarh, especially in rural areas.
