Soro: Koili Osha is celebrated by girls mainly in the Balasore district of Odisha. It is a fascinating festival that is celebrated with great enthusiasm and devotion by young girls.
Koili Osha, a traditional festival dedicated to the cuckoo bird, has been a cherished part of the local culture of Balasore for over 50 years. This distinctive celebration is observed with fervor in the Kusha Gadia village under Kesharipur Panchayat in Soro Block, where unmarried girls come together to honour the cuckoo bird and wish their brothers good luck.
Significance of Koili Osha
Koili Osha is a festival that embodies the bond of love and protection between sisters and brothers. On this auspicious occasion, sisters tie Rakhi on their brothers’ hands, symbolizing their wish for their brothers’ long life and well-being. The festival is celebrated with great pomp and joy, especially among unmarried girls who observe this tradition with the hope of fulfilling their dreams and aspirations.
The Celebration
The Koili Osha festival is observed for seven days, starting a week before Maha Bishuba Sankranti, the Odia New Year. During this period, girls create clay figures of cuckoos and adorn their nests with colorful flowers. On the last day of the festival, the clay cuckoos are worshiped with great devotion, and then placed in a mango tree in the village. The girls offer various types of flowers and fruits to decorate the mango tree, while their brothers carry sweets on their shoulders and accompany the koili to the tree amid sound of bell and other musical instruments.
A Symbol of Sisterly Love
The culmination of the festival is marked by the placement of the koili nest in the mango tree, signifying the end of the celebration. Through this traditional festival, sisters express their love and concern for their brothers, wishing them a long and prosperous life. Koili Osha is a testament to the rich cultural heritage of Odisha and the enduring bond of sibling love.
