Odia diaspora in UK’s Leeds celebrates Raja festival

Bhubaneswar: The popular agrarian festival Raja was celebrated by an Odia diaspora from Leeds in UK, on June 15.

“It was our 2nd Year Raja Celebration. We started celebrating Raja in 2023, for the first time. This year, Odia families who hail from Bhubaneswar, Puri, Balasore, Bhadrak, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Cuttack, Berhampur, Kalahandi, and several other places took part. There was a congregation of around 200 people,” a spokesperson of the event organiser Odia Leeds Association said.

“Celebrating the festival was thought of to uphold Odia culture and traditions outside the State. Hundreds of participating families were from Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Manchester, Sheffield, Hull, Yorkshire, Humber, and different other cities of northwest UK,” the spokesperson added.

Notably, the Odia Leeds Association has plans to unite in future all Odia families residing in the UK to popularise Odisha’s culture, heritage, and traditions.