The traditional Odia festival Boita Bandana was celebrated throughout Odisha on November 19, 2021 with fervor.The festival is commemorated on Kartika Purnima, or the full moon day of the Kartika month as per Hindu calendar.
The glory of Odisha’s (erstwhile Kalinga) maritime heritage is acknowledged by the ‘Boita Bandana’ ritual on the day Kartika Purnima. Boita Bandana literally means ‘sanctifying of boats’.
People across the State celebrate the day by floating tiny banana, paper or thermocol boats with diyas, betel leaves, crackers, fruits and coins in the nearest water bodies. The festival is marked to celebrate the glorious maritime history of the state (since it was known as Kalinga) and ancient tradesmen and mariners (known as sadhabas) who traveled on boitas to trade with distant island nations that share borders with the Bay of Bengal like Indonesia, Java, Sumatra and Bali.