Samba Dashami is a festival that is celebrated only in Odisha, a state in India. It falls on the 10th day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Pausha (December – January) according to the Odia calendar. This festival is mainly observed in the eastern part of Odisha.
The festival is based on the story of Samba, who was the son of Lord Krishna. He suffered from leprosy and was healed by the Sun God Surya after he did penance for 12 years near Konark. On this day, mothers worship Surya for their children’s health.
Customs The women of the house get up before sunrise on Samba Dashami. They take a bath and cook dishes like khichdi, Odia puri, and ghadghadia tarkari (a curry), and offer them to Surya at sunrise. They also offer different kinds of food to Surya in the name of each family member, especially the children. After that, they make various types of cakes called pitha (cake), such as manda pitha, kakara pitha, poda pitha, arisha pitha, biri laddoo, chhenaguda, dhanu muaan, khiri, rasagulla, jhilli, chhenagaja, and sweet curd.
At noon, they take a bowl of water with turmeric and betel to chaunra mula (a small shrine with a tulsi plant on top). They serve all the cooked food on plates. They look at Surya through the bowl of water and offer him all the dishes. They read the story of Samba Dasami Brata Katha and pray for the well-being of everyone in the family.
In the evening, they perform another ritual as part of Samba Dashami. This is called Mahakala puja, in which they offer special budha chakuli to Yama, the god of death.
