Continuing with the Magh Maroj festive experience in Juansar Bawar, Uttarakhand, in today's episode we are about to introduce you to the Day 3 celebrations happening here. This day, following the ritualistic sacrifice of the goat is known as Saaje. Starting from today, the villagers visit each other's house in large groups to exchange festive greetings. To witness this heartwarming tradition we met our host Suraj Prakash Ji who gave us an overview of this tradition.
We came to know that menfolk gather in groups and visit each and every house in the village. At every household, the merry group is treated with meat and roti and local alcohol or tea. At some places the refreshment is followed by impromptu folk dance and song performances. The rough terrains and the numerous accents and descents doesn't dampen the spirit of the people in touring the whole village. The sound of laughter, conversations, claps and hurried footsteps fills the whole atmosphere with a cheerful vibe. The womenfolk carry out this same tradition in separate groups once the menfolk are done with it. Finally they all gather together in the open community spaces and perform folk dances like harul, to the tunes of folk songs and instruments. Witnessing all of these was truly an enriching and merry experience for us. Once the village visit is complete the villagers then go on to meet their relatives in the vicinity and the tradition continues for the whole month.