5 Festivals Of Odisha You Must Experience

Orissa is a state bordered by West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh in North and South; along with Bay of Bengal on the East. Orissa festivals are well known for their high spirits of festivity and celebration with vibrant grandeur and colour. This article gives a detailed list of Odisha festivals which enables us to know more about the main festival of Odisha along with the other festivals celebrated in Orissa throughout the year. A visit to Orissa can never be said to be complete without taking part in their festive celebrations or visiting their colourful fairs. The hundreds of temples found in Orissa offer an exemplary view into the rich cultural heritage of Orissa.

* Ratha Yatra or Chariot Festival

This is one of the main festivals in Odisha. Known as Rath Yatra, it is also called as Chariot Festival. This festival is generally held in months of June or July. Pilgrims from all over the world come to visit this festival which commences in the month of Jyestha on a full moon day. This day will be Snana Yatra where idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken along with Sudarshana chakra. They are then bathed in Snana Mandap, a pandal, according to traditional religious rites. Then they are said to have become ill with fever. Hence, they quarantined and confined to solitary confinement. This celebration lasts for a fortnight.

* Sitalsasthi Carnival

Another one on the Odisha festivals list is Sitalsasthi carnival. This festival is celebrated in the form of a carnival. This is a native festival that celebrates the wedding of Lord Shiva to Parvati. It is celebrated in all Shiva temples across Orissa. The festival generally takes place in jyaistha. Further, this festival generally occurs in shuddha Panchami. The procession is then brought out on the day of Shashti.This festival marks the end of summer season and the commencement of monsoons. This is one of the widely celebrated festivals in Western Odisha.

* Gamha Purnima

Another one among the important festivals of Odisha is Gamba Purnima. This is a ritual and traditional festival of Orissa. The festival of Gamha Purnima is also known as Raksha Bandhan. On this native festival, the sisters tie rakhi to the wrists of their brothers for protection and as a symbol of their affection. This day also marks where one can witness the farmers in various villages worshipping cows. Various types of country made cakes called Pitha are made and sweets are distributed. On this day, the Utkala Brahmins do the puja of Upakarma. This day also marks an important day due to the birthday of Lord Balaram.

* Ganesh Puja & Nuakhai

Another major important festival of Odisha is the Ganesh Chaturthi. This festival is observed by all over the state of Orissa and celebrated with much religious fervour, especially in parts of the western coast, Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi. Hundreds of puja pandals are erected for darshan. The day after Chaturthi is known as Nuakhai. This is mainly an agricultural festival. This festival is said to welcome the new rice of the season and on this day, all the people of western Odisha celebrate by eating the new harvests from the paddy fields. These 2 days are holidays declared by the State government all over the state.

* Hingula Yatra

Another famous Odisha festival is Hingula Yatra. Hingula Yatra is a festival that celebrates the worship of ‘Shakti’ which is seen as a Shiva puja. This festival generally commenceson the day of Vishuba Sankranti. The religious culture of Tantricism is a sub culture of this festival. Remote villages celebrate this festival with a lot of austerity. One of the rituals during this festival is the worshipper has his food made out of a special oven and takes his meal once a day until the completion of the festival. Special prayers are offered to the Goddess every Thursday of the month of Chaitra.