Odisha People celebrate Nuakhai Festival Today.

Nuakhai means the festival of Harvest, and in Odisha, people celebrate it with full spirit and in a great way.

Nuakhai Festival.

The Name " Nuakhai" is a combination of two words they are "Nua, " and "Khai" Nua means New and Khai means food. When the Word put together, it comes Nuakhai. On this Special, Day Women's take a bath from the morning and wear new Various design's of western Sambalpuri clothes and worshipped the new grains which taken from the land to Goddess Samaleswari to whom the festival is dedicated and make delicious sweets in this new grain. This festival is celebrated on the lunar fortnight in Bhadrapada months, the day after Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

Today is Varalakshmi Vratam 2017 Pooja.

Varalakshmi Vrat 2017 is today and women across these south Indian states will dress up traditionally to celebrate this festival and take fast for getting the blessing of Maa Lakshmi.

Varalaxmi Pooja.

Every year in the month of Shravan( Monsoon season) on Friday preceding the full moon night( Purnima), married women in South India, Maharastra, and Odisha observe the Varalakshmi Vrata. This year this puja falls on Friday 4th August means today. The fasting and worshipping are done mainly by the married women for good wishes of their family.

On this day married women wear the traditional silk saree and decorate with golden jewelry and take fast until the end of the pooja in the evening. On this day Goddess Laxmi is worshipping in 8 avatars, Goddess of wealth(Shri), Earth(Bhu), Learning(Saraswati), Love(Priti), Fame(Kirti), Peace(Shanti), Pleasure(Tushti), And Strength(Pusthi). Finally all puja complete in all rituals and take the blessing of Lakshmi Maa.

Today is "Nag panchami" festival.

Nag Panchami is a religious festival of Hindus on which people feed serpents or snakes with milk, kheer, and sweets. Snakes are believed to be the creature hailing from patal- lok which incarnated for the goodness and welfare of living things.

The Hindu festival celebrated on the fifth day of a bright half lunar month of the Hindu month Shravan. On the day of Nag Panchami puja, people wear new traditional saree, dress and worship snake by offering milk, sweet, kheer and lit the earthen lamp as well before the idol or statue of Nag devatas. Some people observe fast the entire day and feed Brahmans with full rituals. 

On this day people believed that the snakes live inside the womb of the earth and we could not harm while doing so. The unique attraction is in some places snake fair is held.

Rakshabandhan- Festivals of Brotherhood.

Raksha Bandhan is the Hindu festival which describes the brotherhood and Love. This festival is celebrated on the full moon of Shravan month. 

The word Raksha means protection, and Bandhan ways to tie. Traditionally, during the festival sisters tie a rakhi made of red and golden threads, around their brother's wrists to celebrate their relationships. This thread bonding not only strengths the bond of love between brother and sister but also bind the relation of all family members.

Girl's  are trying to but Rakhi.

The celebration of Raksha Bandhan marked about happiness and excitement, especially for young girls and women. On this particular day, the festivities start by the day break. Every young girl wears the new Silk Saree or Salwar suit and gets ready early and gather for the worship of the deities. After taking the blessings of God's, the sister performs brother arti with tika and Rice on his forehead and ties Rakhi by chanting mantras. Then she gives sweets and gifts. Brother accepts her gifts and vows to take care of her in the time of need. He gives a return gifts to his loving sister. All family members celebrate this festival by tasty dishes, sweets, gifts, roaming to their relatives. Any Indian festival is incomplete without this.

The Rath Yatra: One Of India’s Most Fascinating Festivals.

Millions of devotees have an great desire to pull the "deities" chariots in Badadanda, Puri odisha. People believe that by pulling the chariots or by devotion to the Lord  destroys their sins committed knowingly or unknowingly.

Puri Rath Yatra.

 Lord Jagannath chariot is known as Nandighosa which is forty- five feet high and forty five feet square at the wheel level. The Chariot of Lord Jagannath made of Sixteen Wheels and ornamented with a cover made of Yellow and red color cloth. The chariot of Lord Balarama is known as Taladhwaja which is forty- four feet high with fourteen wheels and the palm tree on its flag. And the chariot of Goddess Shubhadra is known as Dwarpadalana, forty-three feet high with twelve wheels, decorated with a covering of red and black cloth.

"Alarnath Temple Also Known as Lord Jagannath Temple"

Lord Alarnath temple is situated in Brahmagiri. The temple is just around 25 km from Lord Jagannath Temple, Puri odisha. When the public darshan of the Lord Jagannath in the main temple at Puri remain closed for a fortnight for Anavasara, lakhs of devotees visit to the Alarnath temple at Brahmagiri. Anavasara is the two weeks period when Lord Jagannatha takes rest in isolation from the rest of the world after suffering from fever due to the annual bathing festival called debasnana purnima. It is a small temple. Lord Alarnath is a four-armed Vishnu deity with Sankha, Chakra, Gadha and Padma. 

Lord Alarnath

During Anavasara period Mahaprabhu Chaitanya visited puri but could not see Lord Jagannath. As he was disappointed but Lord Jagannath give the Indication to visit Lord Alarnath temple. On his visit he was praying god on a stone and that stone kept inside the temple and called as prema- sila.

Snana Yatra at Puri Jagannath Temple held on 9th June 2017.

The Snana Yatra or Snana Purnima is a bathing festival which celebrated on the Purnima (full moon day) of the Hindu month of Jyeshtha month. It is an important festival of the Lord Jagannath devotees. This is the first occasion or First festival in a year as per the Hindu calendar, when the deities Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Maa Subhadra,Lord Sudarshan, and Lord Madanmohan are brought out from the Jagannath Temple (Puri) and taken in a procession to the Snana Bedi or Snana Mandap. The water for the whole event will be collected from the well located near northern gate of the temple. Bathing rituals will be performed with 108 vessels of water and decorated for a public audience with the devotees. 

Lord Jagannath .

It is a belief among devotees of Lord Jagannath that if they make a pilgrimage to see the deity on this day, they would be cleansed of all of their sins. Lakhs of devotees visit the temple on the occasion to visit Mahaprabhu Lord Jagannath. Later the deities were decorated in Sada Besha with new clothes.