Jajati Karan, Konark: As the monsoon clouds gather over Orissa skies, it's time for the women of the village to sing the rain songs and welcome the monsoon. Young girls in the village welcome the first showers by being a part of the festivities involved.

Eight-year-old Arpita Nayak from Bhagvati is very excited about the Rajja festival celebrated every year.

"I woke up early in the morning and dressed well. My mother gave me a special cake to eat and I am here to play and enjoy with my friends," says Arpita.

Festivities during Rajja continue for three days and farmers don't plough their fields because they believe during this time of the year mother earth undergoes her menstrual periods.

"There is a deep relation between monsoon and the Rajja festival. The farmers go to plough their field only after this festival to get good harvest. We consider our land as our mother,” says a student, Rashmirekha Panda.

While children participate in sporting events, young girls have fun on decorated jhulas (swings), and women take part in unique crying competitions.

The festival is primarily celebrated by the women on the arrival of the monsoon because the earth is considered to be a woman who desperately waits for the first shower of the monsoon.