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Popular Festivals of Odisha

Over the centuries Odisha has been home to many religions and various sacred places that are steeped in history. It is not surprising then that it is also home to many fairs and festivals ranging from music and dance festivals to tribal festivals and more. The fairs and festivals of Odisha are so famous that every year thousands of devotees and tourists flock to the state to either participate or witness in these events.

Ratha Jatra

Ratha Jatra is a major Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath held at Puri in India during the months of June or July...

Ratha Jatra

Ratha Jatra is a major Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath held at Puri in India during the months of June or July. As per the traditional Oriya calendar, this festival is celebrated on the second day of the Shukla Paksha, Ashadh month. Ratha Jatra or Chariot Festival of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Balabhadra, a Hindu festival, is undoubtedly the biggest and the most popular festival held in Odisha. It is considered most auspicious to visit the temple during this period.

Chandan Jatra

Celebrated on the pious land of Puri, the auspicious Chandan Jatra is a twenty-one-day festival that marks the conclusion

Chandan Jatra

Celebrated on the pious land of Puri, the auspicious Chandan Jatra is a twenty-one-day festival that marks the conclusion of the cycle of religious festivals. This festival takes place in the month of Vaisakha and continues for 42 days. But, generally speaking, and for the pilgrims and visitors, it is a Festival of 21 days only. The first period is known as Bahar Chandan or outer Chandan. During this period, During Bahara Chandana the deities are taken for the playful trip. The deities include Jagannatha, Balaram, and Suvadra, along with the five Shivlingas. In this Bahara Chandana event, they are taken to the Narendra Tirtha Lake by conducting a very colorful procession.The second period of 21 days known as Bhitar Chandana is celebrated inside the Temple.

Durga Puja

Durga Puja is a popular festival in Odisha, is celebrated to worship the Goddess of Power and War, the Goddess Durga

Durga Puja

Durga Puja is a popular festival in Odisha, is celebrated to worship the Goddess of Power and War, the Goddess Durga and to celebrate Naari-shakti (women's power). The festival takes place in the month of Aswin or Kartik i.e. September or October every year according to the English calendar. Magnificently celebrated all over Odisha, Durga Puja is considered to be an important festival of the state when the streets are lighted up and marquee are decorated to set the spirit of festivity among the people which lasts for three to four days every year. This festival truly symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. This famous festival is celebrated in two different ways in Odisha i.e, in Shakti Peethas (temples of the Goddess Durga)and in sarvajanik (public) pandals. During this Hindu festival, devotees totally immerse themselves in Durga puja festivity for ten days. Among all cities, Cuttack celebrates the Durga Puja in a major way.

Ganesh Puja

Ganesh Puja was celebrated with religious fervor across Odisha.The 10-day festival that marks the beginning of the festive season

Ganesh Puja

Ganesh Puja was celebrated with religious fervor across Odisha.The 10-day festival that marks the beginning of the festive season in Odisha celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha, the younger son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. This festival is celebrated with religious fervor across the state. It is primarily observed by educational institutes and students.The bhagwan is offered Prasad like modak and laddu in pandals.

Nuakhai

Nuakhai, as the name, suggests that Nua means New and Khai means food. So, the festival of Nuakhai is a festival

Nuakhai

Nuakhai, as the name, suggests that Nua means New and Khai means food. So, the festival of Nuakhai is a festival to celebrate newly harvested food by the farmers. One day after the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi it is celebrated especially in the Western part of Odisha with much pomp and jubilation. People staying in distant lands come back to their native places, wear new clothes and offer prayers before God, eat delicious foods prepared from the newly harvested crops.

Rakhi Purnima

Rakhi Purnima is celebrated with much fervour across the state. The festival celebrates the bond of love between brothers and sisters..

Rakhi Purnima

Rakhi Purnima is celebrated with much fervour across the state. The festival celebrates the bond of love between brothers and sisters. To mark the festival, brothers and sisters in every household of the state start preparations very early in the morning. While girls prepare the ‘puja thali’ filled with colourful 'rakhis' along with chandan-tilak, sindoor (vermilion), akshat (rice), lamps and sweets, boys are well prepared with gifts for their beloved sisters. After performing ‘aarti’ for the wellbeing of their brothers, girls put tilak on their forehead and tie rakhi threads on their wrists. The brothers in return offer gifts to their sisters as a token of love and vow to protect them. It is not necessary that the rakhi should be given only to a blood brother; any male can be "adopted" as a brother by tying a rakhi, whether they are cousins or good friends and several socio-cultural organizations also observe it with an objective to nurture brotherhood.

Diwali

Diwali is celebrated with colorful lights and decorated pandals creating a festive spirit across the state. Diwali is the festival of lights ..

Diwali

Diwali is celebrated with colorful lights and decorated pandals creating a festive spirit across the state. Diwali is the festival of lights celebrated every year to highlight the victory over evil in the form of victory of Lord Ram over Ravana, kali puja is the worship of Goddess kali to protect humanity from the hands of evils. People from all strata of life joined the festivities in colorful clothes and exchanged greetings and sweets as both the festivals were being celebrated together, making the entire occasion a gala event. Fireworks lit up the sky as the evening wore on while streets are adorned with colorful lights and houses are decked up with Diyas(earthen lamps).

Dola

This festival is dedicated to Sri Krishna and mainly celebrated by Gopal community of Odisha. On this auspicious day

Dola

This festival is dedicated to Sri Krishna and mainly celebrated by Gopal community of Odisha. On this auspicious day, an idol of Krishna and his beloved Radha, richly adorned and besmeared with colored powder (Abir in Bengali, Odia and Assamese languages), is taken out in procession in a swinging palanquin, decorated with flowers, leaves, colored clothes and papers. The procession proceeds forward to the accompaniment of music, blaring of conch shells, trumpets and shouts of 'Joi' (victory) and 'Hari Bol' in Odisha. Odia women wash their Angans with cowdung and decorate with rice powder and flowers. Milk items like home made curd, cream, butter and 'panchamrit' are offered. The people who accompany are offered sweets and drinks. In villages, drinks made of curd are distributed among people and rejoiced by putting Vermillion on each other.

Maha shivaratri

Maha Shivaratri is a famous Hindu festival celebrated each year in reverence of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction

Maha Shivaratri

Maha Shivaratri is a famous Hindu festival celebrated each year in reverence of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and regeneration.A Shivaratri is celebrated on the 13th night and 14th day of every lunar month. The Shivaratri in the month of Falgun (Phalguna) - the last month of Hindu calendar - is Maha Shivaratri which means "the Great Night of Shiva". It takes place just before the arrival of Spring, usually in February or March in the Western calendar.It is celebrated across India and is a holiday in most states and it is also a public holiday in Mauritius and Nepal.Maha Shivaratri is the night when Shiva is said to have performed the Tandava Nritya, or the dance of primordial creation, preservation and destruction. According to believers, this saved the world from destruction. Hindu scholars say Maha Shivaratri was the day when Shiva drank poisonous negativity to protect the world. Shivaratri is also when Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva married again.