File picture of women and children drinking pana on Odia New Year and (above) Baisakhi celebration at a gurudwara in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, April 12: Traditional beverage pana is the flavour of the season.

The drink that replenishes the throat in the scorching summer is prepared and distributed throughout the day at this time of the year. But on Sunday, the reason for celebrating with pana will be the Odia New Year observed on Maha Vishuba Sankranti better known as Pana Sankranti.

From mythological and religious significance to social and cultural importance, the Odia New Year is believed to be one of the major celebrations of the state. Preparations are on in full flow to grandly observe the occasion. Among major highlights of the festival is the release of the new Odia religious almanac for the Hindu year.

The almanac or paanji is collected by Odias to organise auspicious events in the family or follow religious festivals on the right dates. Maha Vishuba Sankranti also marks a change of position in the Sun’s path and is, therefore, observed in mid-April every year. Another significance of the occasion is the birthday of Lord Hanuman.

Various rites and ceremonies are conducted to celebrate the religious magnitude of the festival.

Preparation and free distribution of pana has also been ensured at most temples.

“Since it is the birth celebrations of Lord Hanuman, every year, on Pana Sankranti, thousands of devotees visit the temple. Devotees also offer pana to the lords and consume it after consecration,” said a priest of the Ram Mandir at Sriya Square.

Bela pana prepared from a blend of fruits, water, milk, pulp of bela (stone apple), curd and sugar is the most common variety of pana and is offered to deities and distributed among friends. It is also prepared at home on the Pana Sankranti. Another special variety of this drink, amba pana, is prepared from mango pulp and is offered to Lord Jagannath. Devotees of Lord Shiv also bathe the Shiv Ling with pana during the festival.

Many restaurants have come up with food festivals for the occasion. This year too, all the leading hotels offer traditional Odia cuisine for the festival. Punjabis, Telugus, Bengalis and members of many other communities have also made arrangements to celebrate their respective New Year.

“We are celebrating Baisakhi tomorrow. Arrangements for prayers and feast have been made at the Gurudwara Singh Sabha. We are conducting a blood donation camp on the day,” said Parineet Singh Anand, member of the Punjabi Youth Wing, in the city.