While Raksha Bandhan is awaited by brothers and sisters in the urban areas, the scene in the rural areas and tribal villages of Koraput is somewhat different.
The agriculture dependent tribal communities celebrate the festival in their own ways. Tribal clans like Kandha, Gadaba, Bhumia, Bonda, Penthia ,Koya and Durua live in the lap of nature in undivided Koraput region. The non tribal Gouda community calls Raksha Bandhan as ‘Gamha Purnima” and devote it exclusively to cattle.
After a bath they put a new cloth and turmeric powder on the cows. The cattle shed is cleanly washed and specially prepared sweets are offered to the cows. Food is offered on plantain leaves. It is followed by an elaborate worship of the cattle wealth.
Different tribal communities celebrate the occasion in their own typical traditional ways. The Penthia clan calls it their Suta Palta, which means change of thread of the male members. On the day after an early bath in the river or streams, the males worship goddess of wealth and then change their threads with new ones. The females early on the day clean their houses and paint their walls.
The members of the Bhumia tribal community observe the function as their Nangal Dhua Parab. On the day, the males clean their ploughs with water and put turmeric paste on it. The female members also prepare turmeric water and rice and sprinkle it on the ploughs.
The plough is worshipped and a few paddy plants from the field are uprooted with soil and carried to the place of worship in the corner of a hut where they offer cooked food to the ancestors and gods and goddesses.
The unique celebration contains thanks giving prayers in the end.