Rasiya
is another famous folk genre of Uttar Pradesh. Though Rasiya has slowly
gained popularity all over the world due to organizations like ISKCON,
its origin is basically confined to the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh.
Braj region basically comprises towns like Mathura, Nandgaon, Barsane,
Vrindavan and Govardhan. Braj is the land of Lord Krishna and his
consort Radha. A remarkable feature of Braj region is its Holi celebration that is very unique in itself. Rasiya is the form of folk music that is mostly sung in this region on Holi. The themes of Rasiya songs are the conjugal love of Krishna with his consort Radha and other milkmaids of his village. Nevertheless the lyrics don't have sexual overtones as in the case of Chaiti and Kajari.
An interesting event is the Rasiya competition. It is held between men dressed in pink and yellow turbans representing Radha-kund and Krishna-kund respectively. The Lathmar or 'Stick Beating' Holi of Braj is very famous for its numerous Rasiya. In this, after a musical question answer session, young men begin singing Rasiya and as soon as they reach the street they are showered with blows from women armed with sticks. The men try to defend themselves till sunset when one young man is caught by the women and made to pray to the well signifying the end of this part of Holi.
