KARTIKA PURNIMA & BOITA BANDANA FESTIVITIES OBSERVED WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM ACROSS ODISHA

Bhubaneswar (27/11/2023): Odisha Ray family conveys warm regards for Kartika Purnima to all of you.

The celebration honours the marine prowess of Odisha.

The term Boita Bandana or Danga Bhasa refers to the custom of building decorated boats that are subsequently floated on a river as a symbolic gesture of their ancestors' voyage; it might also be translated as "to float ritual boats and worshipping with lighted lamp".

People from all walks of life set adrift small boats in various bodies of water early in the morning to commemorate the Boita Bandana Utsav.

In the traditional Odia calendar, Boita Bandana is held early on Kartik Purnima, the full moon day in the month of Kartika. Moreover, the day also demands for early bath in the riverines or ponds and pray to the god Kartika.

The festival is held to remember the day that the ancient Odia mariner merchants known as "Sadhabas" sailed to far-off places in mainland and insular Southeast Asia, as well as Sri Lanka, to engage in trade and cultural exchange.