Odisha Government to Celebrate Odia Festival from Odisha Day to Odia New Year

Bhubaneswar: In a historic move, the Odisha government will celebrate the Odia Festival for the first time, spanning from Odisha Day on April 1 to the Odia New Year on April 14. This 14-day festival will feature various cultural, literary, and social events across the state, involving public participation at both the block and state levels.

The celebrations will begin on April 1, marking the formation of an independent, language-based Odisha province, and will run until April 14, the Odia New Year. The festival, known as ‘Odia Paksha,’ aims to promote and preserve Odisha’s cultural heritage, customs, and traditions on a global platform.

Odisha Culture Minister, Suryavanshi Suraj, emphasized the significance of the event, stating, “This year, for the first time, we are celebrating Odia Paksha to honor our language, culture, and identity. Various departments will come together to host events across the state, providing a platform for public engagement and celebration.”

The festivities will include a range of activities:

• April 1: Odisha Day will be commemorated at the state, district, and sub-district levels.
• April 2: Nursery school enrollment ceremonies will be conducted, organized by the Department of School and Mass Education and the Department of Women and Child Development.
• April 3: The Handlooms, Textiles, and Handicrafts Department will host “Our Clothes, Our Identity” day to promote traditional Odia attire and handicrafts.
• April 4: The Labour and State Employees’ Insurance Department will lead an “Odia Name Plate Campaign – Awareness Walk,” encouraging the use of Odia nameplates in shops and markets.
• April 5: A heritage race will be organized by the Sports and Youth Affairs Department.
• April 6: A cleanliness campaign will focus on maintaining the temples and heritage sites of Odisha.
• April 7: The Department of Odia Language, Literature, and Culture will commemorate the devotional literary work Barnabodha Manthu-Barnabodh Utsav by Madhusudan Rao.
• April 8: A blood donation campaign will be conducted by the Red Cross, Health and Family Welfare Department, and Higher Education Department.
• April 9: The “Let’s Buy a Book” campaign will promote Odia literature, organized by the Department of Odia Language, Literature, and Culture and the Higher Education Department.
• April 10: “Folk Art Day” will honor senior artists, and a visit to Kalagram will showcase Odisha’s folk art.
• April 11: A young writers’ conference will be organized in collaboration with the Odisha Sahitya Academy, Higher Education, Sports, and Youth Services Department.
• April 13: A campaign focusing on traditional food cultivation, “Our Taste, Our Food,” will be held by the Panchayati Raj and Housing and Urban Development Departments.
• April 14: The grand celebration of Odia New Year will conclude the 14-day festival.

Minister Suryavanshi Suraj also urged all departments and district collectors to ensure the successful celebration of the festival, emphasizing maximum public participation and a unified effort to promote Odisha’s rich cultural identity.

With a wide range of events planned for every day of the festival, the Odia Paksha promises to be a significant occasion for the people of Odisha to connect with their cultural roots and celebrate the pride of the state.