Sital Sasthi is a sacred festival for the Hindus that is grandly celebrated in Odisha. This week-long special festival highlights the marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. According to the Hindu calendar, Sital Sasthi is observed on the sixth day of the Jyestha month during the Shukla Paksha.
In the Gregorian calendar, Sital Sasthi is marked in the months of May-June. During the week-long festival, devotees in large numbers take part in the most famous Sitala Sasthi Yatra that is conducted at Sambalpur.
People observing this festival believe that Lord Shiva represents the scorching heat of summer while Goddess Parvati signifies the first rain. So, this holy and lavish wedding is observed for a good monsoon.
Date and Time:
This year, Sital Sasthi will be celebrated on 6 June. The Shasthi Tithi will begin on 5 June at 4:53 AM and end on 6 June at 6:40 AM.
How is the day celebrated?
This festival is usually celebrated in a form of a grand carnival. Artists and individuals from different states come together and participate in the celebrations. The Sambalpur carnival, which is a popular event, attracts thousands of tourists from all over India and abroad.
This year, an assembly of more than 6,000 artists from across Odisha as well as other states are likely to perform at the cultural extravaganza after a gap of two years. According to a report in the New Indian Express, after the divine marriage on 4 June, the homecoming procession of the divine couple to the temple will continue till the afternoon of 6 June.
Events like folk music, dance, and other such festivities form the chief attraction of this carnival.
History and Significance:
Sital Sasthi is a celebration wherein Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati are adopted by two families, and their wedding is solemnised with the involvement of rituals. After the marriage is performed, the God and Goddess are then carried around via a procession.
Sambalpur has been celebrating this festival for decades. During this spiritual occasion, everyone in the state gets super excited to be part of the divine wedding.
