Durga Puja
Durga Puja is the most important festival of Odisha. The huge idols of Durga Maa are immaculated in the Pandals. The chants of Mantras and Artis can be heard to mark the grand celebration of this festival.
Ratha Yatra
The festival is dedicated to Lord Jagannath who is an avatar of Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna. The three deities of Krishna, Balaram and Subhadra are taken for a yatra on chariots to the summer temple for a week.
Kalinga Mahotsav
The festival is celebrated to mark the victory of peace over war in Kalinga. To pay tribute to the martyrs, various Martial art acts are performed on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar at Dhauli Shanti Stupa.
Chhau
To represent the tribal life and dances of Odisha, Chhau is celebrated with great enthusiasm. This festival is primarily attached to the Odissi dance form. During this festival, people of Odisha worship Lord Shiva.
Sital Sasthi
Sital Sasthi is celebrated as the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. This festival is usually celebrated in a form of a grand carnival. Individuals from different states come together and participate in the celebrations.
Nua Khai
Nuakhai is the agricultural festival observed by people of Western Odisha. Nuakhai is observed to welcome the new rice of the season. It is an important social festival particularly in Western Odisha and adjoining areas.
Makar Sakranti
Makar Sankranti or Makar Mela is another important festival of Odisha. The festival is celebrated when the Sun enters the orbit of Capricorn and by this time harvesting of new paddy, sugarcane crops are over.
Raja Sakranti
Raja Parba is a four-day long festival which is fondly celebrated all over the state of Odisha. This festival is celebrated to bring prosperity in agriculture fields and also to celebrate womanhood.
Mahabisuva Sankranti
Mahabisuva Sankranti or Pana Sankranti is celebrated to mark the new year as per the Odia Calendar in the month of April. Pana is a drink made from Misri and water, hung over the Tulsi plant to represent the rain.