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Garbhama Samkranti
This festival is celebrated on the first day of the solar month of
Karthika.
This is the time when the paddy plants or the ears of corn are forming. This is
compared to pregnancy and hence the name 'Garbhma'. These pregnant rice plants
represent Lakshmi the Goddess of wealth and fertility and are worshipped with
offerings in the paddy fields. They believe that through supernatural
intervention a huge quantity of corn will thus harvested. All the family members
eat to their heart's content.
Kumar Purnima
This festival is celebrated on the full moon day of the lunar month of
Ashwina bring untold pleasure to the unmarried boys and girls. The worship of
moon God is held at home as Janha Mamu (Moon, the maternal uncle.) brings them
various delicacies and new clothes.
Chhadakhai
In the sacred month of Karthika many people forego their favourite
non-vegetarian dishes till Karthika Purnima as part of sacred ritual. The day
after the full moon is the great day of release from this religious taboo and
all indulge in non-vegetarian dishes to their heart's content.
Prathamashtami
This festival is celebrated for the well being of the first born in the family, whether boy or girl. The celebration falls on the eighth day of
the dark fortnight of the lunar month of Margashira. Oblations are offered to
God Ganapathi to protect the child against all hurdles in life. The child is
given a new dress, feasted and blessed by the parents and other elders and
friends.
Dhamu Samkranti
This festival is celebrated on the first day of Solar pousha month. The month
of pousha is considered the month of plenty. After collecting the harvest there
is a festival of general rejoicing with special sweets of 'Maun'.
Shamba Dashami
The festival is celebrated on the tenth day in the bright fortnight in pousha
lunar month. The myth has it that Lord Krishna's son, Shamba, was cursed by a
sage and he could get rid of his leprosy. The dreaded disease only by
worshipping the Sun God at Arka tirtha, which is located on the Konark beach in
Orissa. Women fast and worship Sun at dawn, midday and dusk and offer a variety
of rice cakes and other delicacies. A mixed vegetable soup, known as 'Ghadghada'
with leaves, tubers, local beans and pulse is a typical delicacy.
Chaiti Ghoda Nata
It is the most important festival of the fishermen of Orissa. Goddess
basuli with a horse shaped head is worshipped from the full moon day of lunar
Baishakha. According to the myth in Kaibarta Purana, the supreme god slept on
the leaf of a banyan tree which was buffeted in the sea. He created a man out of
the dirt of his ear to hold the rudder firmly and thus keep his leaf-bed steady.
When he was dozing, the man was swallowed up by a gigantic fish. Again the
leaf bed swerved and god angrily captured the fish and brought the man out. The
man and his descendants became the inveterate enemies of fish. They were
ordained by god to earn their livelihood by catching fish. A part of the leaf
was transformed into a horse. Under god's orders Vishwakarma built a boat and
the man and his horse has become the presiding deity of the descendants of the
first Kaibarta or fisherman and boatman. The divine horse breathed its last on
the eighth day of Baishakha and God consoled the first Kaibarta that this horse
was goddess of Basuli and her worship would bring him salvation.
The representation of goddess Basuli is made of well-decorated horse-head
made of wood attached to a trunk built of bamboo pieces and is coloured brown
and decorated with garlands of red flowers. A man enters through a hole in the
trunk and holds his head giving the appearance from a distance as he is riding a
horse. Holding the reins he dances and the horse dances backward and forward to
the beating of a drum. He sings songs composed by the folk poets.
Karma
The karma is a famous autumn festival which starts from the eleventh day of
the bright fortnight of the month of Bhadrab and continues for some days in the
month of Ashwina. The festival is celebrated in most of Orissa's villages in
Sambalpur and Phulabani districts.
The story behind this celebration goes: six sons of a rich merchant set sail
in a ship for trade, leaving the youngest brother at home. When they returned
they saw to their amazement that their wives danced in the 'Karma'
festival, while the youngest brother was playing on the drum. Being enraged,
they drove away their wives. At this, 'Karma' (the god of fortune) got angry and
all their wealth vanished. They repented for their folly of driving out the
goddess of wealth along with their wives. With the counsel of their wives they
went in search of the God of fortune and met a milkman on the way. The
latter requested them to ascertain from the God why the number of his cows was
fast decreasing. After some time they saw a strange man bearing on his head a
piece of broken earthen pot with fire burning in it, and another man carrying a
husking peddle on the shoulder. The next man they met was shivering in the
suffering of these persons from the God and the means of getting free from them.
The God after due worship was kind to them and on return they found that their
house was filled with gold and jewels.
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