Bhujaria, a festival of harmony and affection

• Kamal Kishore Dubey

Bhujaria festival is celebrated with full devotion and joy on the second day of Raksha Bandhan. This festival is celebrated in most places in entire Bundelkhand and Hoshangabad, Vidisha, Narsinghpur, Chhindwara, Jabalpur and some other nearby districts of Madhya Pradesh. This is a very cordial traditional festival. It is a festival that flourishes mutual respect, love and harmony of Indian culture.

Bhujaria are actually sprouts of wheat. About 8-10 days before Raksha Bandhan, they are sown in sacred soil mixed with cow dung manure in small baskets made of Palash leaves or bamboo. These baskets are kept away from direct sunlight due to which they become light yellow in colour. They are watered daily. On the second day of Raksha Bandhan, they are worshipped in the house as a goddess.

Married women or unmarried girls of the house carry the baskets of Bhujrias on their heads while singing local folk songs to the banks of a nearby pond or river. There, after collective worship, they are immersed. (Nowadays, in some places, people have started worshipping them at their homes and immersing them near a water source.) After immersion, they are pulled out of a bowl or basket and exchanged with each other. In the evening, there is a lot of hustle and bustle in the villages due to the festival. People of all ages or relationships hug each other and touch each other's feet to receive blessings. During the exchange of Bhujrias, parents, Gurus, respected people, elders take Bhujrias from the younger ones and put them in their ears. Which is a sign of their blessings. In this way, it is a very joyous and cordial festival. If someone from a family in the village/acquaintances has passed away that year, they also go to their house and offer condolences. In this festival, any estrangement or animosity between people of any caste, religion, rich and poor is removed by the exchange of Bhujries without any discrimination and a cordial relationship and environment is created.
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Bhujaria