Kartika Purnima is one of the popular festival in Odisha celebrated throughout Orissa in the month of Kartika (October – November). In this festival the people worship Lord Shiva. The whole month of ‘Kartika’ is considered to be the most sacred among all the twelve months of the year. During this month all the pious Hindus refrain from eating fish, meat or egg. All of them take pre-dawn bath and visit temples as a matter of routine. The last five days are considered more sacred, in which there is wide participation. Taken together the days are called ‘Panchaka’, the last day being the “Kartika Purnima”. Every day they take food only once in the afternoon which is known as ‘Habisha’.
The Five Days Celebration of Kartika Purnima Festival
For all the five days the women after purificatory bath in the early morning draw beautiful flower-designs around the ‘chaura’ (a small temple like structure with a ‘Tulsi’ plant overhead) with col-our powders produced indigenously. Fasting for the day is commonly observed. Most of the Shiva temples get crowded with devotees offering prayers to Lord Shiva who is said to have killed the demon ‘Tripurasura’ on this day. Group singing of ‘kirtans’ and loud beating of ‘Mrudanga’ and cymbals continue for the whole day.
Boita Bandana in Kartika Purnima Festival
Another festival that takes place in the morning is significant to the ancient history of Orissa. This reminds the maritime glory of the State. In olden days the ‘Sadhabas’ (Sea traders) used to sail off to distant islands like Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Ceylon etc. for their trade by huge boats (‘Boita’). The women of the community were giving them a hearty send off on this day. The days are now gone, but the memory is still alive. Now, people float tiny boats made out of cork and coloured paper or bark of the banyan tree while reminiscing the past glory. This is called “BoitaBandana”.
The next fortnight of the month is spent propitiating the dead ancestors. In every evening, a covered but perforated earthen pot carrying an earthen lamp inside is hoisted to a pole to help guide the ancestral spirits to descend on their respective villages and homes. The members of a family light a bunch of jute-stalks with the invocation “Oh! The ancestors come in the darkness and go in the light.” This is called “Badabadua Paka”.
