A quiet start to Odia New Year celebrations
Bhubaneswar: People of the state celebrated a quiet Odia Naba Barsha (New Year) on the occasion of Maha Bishuba Sankranti on Monday. No religious or cultural activities was organised to mark the day in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak and the consequent lockdown across the state.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Naveen Patnaik and other leaders wished good health and prosperity upon the people of Odisha on social media.
“On the occasion of auspicious Odia New Year, Maha Bishuba Sankranti and Hanuman Jayanti, my heartfelt wishes to all or any Odia brothers and sisters staying in different parts of the world. May this new year bring prosperity and happiness, ” tweeted Kovind. Modi tweeted, “Happy Odia New Year and Maha Bishuba Pana Sankranti. May the coming year bring happiness and good health in everyone’s life. ”
Naveen in his Twitter message wished everyone happy new year and prayed to Lord Jagannath for safe and secure life for all. “May God give us strength to fight against corona with courage, ” he wrote. He also wished people on the occasion of 73rd Capital Foundation Day on Monday.
Temples, which generally receive devotees in droves on the occasion of Maha Bishuba Sankranti, wore a deserted look in 2010 due to the ongoing lockdown and restrictions imposed on public gatherings. “In my life, I have never seen this type of day when not a single person visited the temple. So many activities start since early in the morning and continue till late at night. But today nothing happened, ” said Biranchi Narayan Rath, a 52-year-old priest in Ardhanariswar temple in Sastri Nagar in the city.
The first day of Baisakh, the first month of the Odia calendar, is celebrated as Maha Bishuba Shankranti. On this day, the new almanac — the traditional calendar — is released and read in temples, said Prafulla Chaudhury, an astrologer.
An important feature of the day is that people relish and distribute the traditional beverage pana among their friends and family. Various organisations put up stalls along roads and in temples to distribute pana among the passers-by. The traditional beverage is prepared from bel, curd, fruits, curd and sugar or jaggery.
”Because we could not visit the temple, we made pana at home today. But the day did not have the same feel because it is a community festival and cannot be enjoyed at home. We wish next year we can celebrate the day in a grand manner, ” said Debashis Acharya, a member of a city-based youth club.
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