Mithuna Sankranti 2022: Date, Time, History And Significance

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Mithuna Sankranti is the day of Sun's transit from Taurus sign to the Gemini Sign which is celebrated as 'Asharh' in Eastern India, 'Aani' in Southern India and 'Mithunam month in Kerala. It is an agricultural festival of Odisha that welcomes and celebrates the first rain, that yields a good harvest. It is a major event for the people of Cuttack, Puri, and Balasore where they greet the first rain, with glee and cheer. This festival is also celebrated as Raja Parba, which is a four-day festival that is celebrated in the honour of Bhudevi, the other consort of Lord Narayana,

As Mithuna Sankranti or Raja Parba ushers in, the third Mithuna lunisolar month commences with great excitement. Down south, the Mithuna Sankranti is also called sankramanam. Rajaswala means menstruating woman, and the festival Raja Parba is named after the concept of menstruation in women. In this context, the woman in her period is the mother nature, Bhudevi. To understand the grandeur of this festival better, let us know more about the date, time, rituals, celebrations, and significance associated with it.

Mithuna Sankranti 2022: Date and Time

Sun rises at 05:45 am on 15 June 2022. Sun sets at 07:09 pm on 15 June 2022. The punya kaal muhurta starts at 12:09 pm and ends at 06:33 pm on 15 June 2022. Maha Muhurta punya kaal starts at 12:09 pm to 12:33 pm on 15 June 2022. Sankranti Muhurta is at 12:09 pm on 15 June 2022.

Mithuna Sankranti 2022: Puja Rituals

People gather in the streets, in huge numbers, and dance to the tunes of the Raja Geetha (the song officially meant for this occasion) in a happy carefree manner. Poda Pitha and Chakuli Pitha are served to all and sundry without discriminating at the social level. One must avoid eating rice grains and salty food on this day as per the ritualistic regulations. This is an opportunity for the devout Hindus to appease the Sun, by observing a fast for the deity. Mithuna Sankranti is the day where there is usually a tremendous downpour that displays the beauty of mother nature in an entirely new dimension.

Saja Baja, the day of preparation, arrives a day before the Pahili Raja. The first day of the festival is celebrated as Pahili Raja, the second, as Mithuna Sankranti, and the third as Bhu Daaha or Basi Raja. Vasumati snana is the fourth day when mother earth is given her final ceremonial bath, which is done by worshipping the grinding stone. Abhishek is performed, after which the turmeric paste and sindoor are applied and the fresh blossoms of flowers are showered in plenty.

Mithuna Sankranti 2022: Celebrations

Post-Sankranti, it is an opportune time for women to refrain from their daily chores for a day and enjoy the bliss of being themselves, in their own world, without any strings attached. They do not cut or tear anything or consume a salty diet on this day. Earth must not be tilled or dug on this day, as a mark of concern and respect to mother earth.

It is a must for all women of Odisha to apply Alta (a bright red dyewhich is a mark of fertility) on their hands and feet , to spend their time outside the kitchen most of the time ( to revive their jaded senses) to wear new dresses ( a need to rediscover the lively vibrant woman in them) and apply Kumkum and Mehendi lavishly on their forehead and hands, ( to show respect to the culture, that has sustained them from centuries) consume the choicest delicacies and spend their holiday on swings (ram doli, dandi doli and chakri doli ) most of the time and also set out for short visits in and around the city.

Mithun Sankranti 2022: History And Significance

Old ladies play cards and Ludo whereas men play the national favorite, kabaddi. Gotipura dances are performed throughout the day. They experience a change, in the way they think and live, at least for the day. These events combine all the traditional ingredients to give a wholesome flavour to the festival. Mother Bhudevi if pleased thoroughly, is believed to grant good progeny and prosperity to all the devout women. This is the ideal occasion to donate clothes to the needy and the socially downtrodden fellow humans.

Raja Parba provides one with the opportunity to pay your respects to your deceased ancestors on the banks of the river. For the women of Odisha, this is a celebration of womanhood and a well-defined breakaway from the superstitions surrounding the menstrual period. This is a festival for the women, by the women, and a well-meaning first step towards their social and spiritual emancipation.

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