Sundargarh: Thousands of devotees of Sundargarh district took part in the early morning ‘Boita Bandana Utsav’ Tuesday and set sail to their miniature boats made of banana-stem and paper on several water bodies of the district including Ib river.
The festival is celebrated on Kartik Purnima- the full moon day of the holy month of Kartik as per the Hindu calendar.
To celebrate Boita Bandana, people woke up early, took bath and thronged the ponds and rivers of the district early in the morning. They then congregated near water bodies to set afloat their boats with lighted clay lamps, betel leaves, grass, flowers and coins and uttered traditional lines ‘aa kaa ma boi – paana gua thoi – paana gua tora – maasaka dharama mora’ song to mark the centuries old festival.
Scores of devotees thronged shrines and temples after sailing their boats. The ancient festival celebrating Odisha’s rich maritime traditions also has both cultural and religious undertones. On this occasion, the month-long fasting ritual ‘Habisha’ came to an end.
Apart from the rich cultural tradition, the festival is a business opportunity for those engaged in the making and selling of the miniature boats.
PNN
