Kartika Purnima
The Kartika Purnima in Odisha is the full moon day of the Hindu holy month Kartika. This day is considered one of the most auspicious month in the Hindu lunar calendar. You can see this holy month from October and November in the English calendar.
As per Hindu culture, Kartika month grants both worldly pleasure and salvation. This year in 2020 the month begins on a Thursday i.e 01-11-2020.
This month is very special for all Odias, it holds a lot of significance for Odia people who observe traditional festivals as well as rituals. Some of them are “Habisa”, “Panchuka”, “Kartika Purnima”, “Boita Bandana”, etc. According to Odia Hindu people, if someone observes this Kartika Brata for a month, will get lots of happiness in their life as it is the favorite month of both Lord Vishnu and Shiva.
Kartika is the only month in a year where each lunar activity celebrates like a festival. As said in Puranas, this month provides all four goals of life, i.e Dharma, Artha, Kaama, and Moksha.
This month is the most awaited month for all devotees, particularly for widows and women of Odisha. This Kartika Brata has important rituals like partial fasting and reading Padma Purana. Also, a large number of widows and women gather at Puri to serve Lord Jagannath and observe this Kartika Brata. They remain on partial fast the entire month.
This year in 2020 due to Pandemic (COVID-19), the Puri district administration appealed to women devotees not to visit the pilgrim town for observing ‘Kartik Brata’ in view of the COVID-19 situation.
Odia Rituals
In Odisha, most devotees observe this Kartika Brata. Their daily routine is to take a pre-dawn bath and visit Lord Jagannath temple. During this month they will have their food once a day which is in the afternoon. This is particularly known as “Habisa”, and the devotees who are observing this Kartika Brata are called “Habisiali”.
The Habisa food is very unique in taste, there are certain vegetables that are prohibited from being used. Those are Brinjal, Sweet Potato, certain Pulses, different Gourds, and some leafy vegetables. There is another famous ritual called “Baluka Puja”, in which Holy Basil (Tulasi) Plant is worship as Lord Jagannath.
Panchuka And Kartika Purnima
The last five days of this Kartika Month are called very auspicious days of the month. These five days called “Panchuka”. In these five days, Odia people avoid eating Non-Veg foods. Also during these five days, the three deities Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra as well as Sudarshan are dressed in different attires each day.
And lastly, the most important day of this Kartika month is the full moon day it is also popularly known as Kartika Purnima by Odias. On this auspicious day, all Odias perform the ritual called “Boita Bandano” to celebrate Odisha’s glorious past. The famous “Cuttack Balijatra” starts on this day.