Bhubaneswar, April 13: The Odia New Year is here again and city residents are all set to usher it in with revelry on Tuesday.
Preparations for Odia festival Maha Bishubha Sankranti had begun since long and people in the capital city are ready to distribute the traditional pana, host special prayers and even launch the new Odia almanac or panji tomorrow.
The first day of Odia New Year is considered an extremely auspicious occasion. It is observed on the day when according to the solar calendar the transition of the Sun from Pisces (Meena) to Aries (Mesha) occurs. The festive day is celebrated in the month of Baisakh. The birthday of Lord Hanuman is also celebrated on this day.
Yagnas and special mass prayers have been arranged for the occasion in almost all temples here.
Popularly known as Pana Sankranti, the occasion is observed with sharing of the traditional drink. Since the festival is observed during summer, this beverage forms the most important part of the festivities.
Pana is prepared by mixing different types of fruits, water, milk, pulp of bael (custard apple), curd and sugar. Amba Pana that includes mango pulp, is offered to Lord Jagannath to convey New Year wishes, while many offer the beverage to Lord Shiva by adding a bit of bhaang.
"It is a very healthy drink since it has great nutritional value as well as is extremely beneficial during summers to replenish the skin," said skin specialist Kishen Agarwal.
Reference of the new Odia almanac also begins from this day. "Now the marriage dates and schedules for other ceremonies can be decided after referring to the new calendar," said Prafulla Panda, priest at a city temple.
The Odia New Year has also acquired a twist in its celebration over the past few years with restaurants coming up with special food festivals on the occasion. This year, too, all the leading hotels are offering traditional Odia cuisine for the festival.
"The urban people like to celebrate all special occasions by eating out and hence we come up with a food fest for the Odia New Year. Since it is more of a religious occasion, we prepare authentic Odia dishes," said Satyabrata Jana, the manager of a city hotel.
