Generally, people of Orissa are religious. They consider Lord Jagannath as the Supreme Lord. They worship Him and celebrate all the festivals concerning him. They also worship Lord Shiva, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Durga, Lord Ganesh and Goddess Saraswati. Durga Puja is celebrated all over Orissa. There are some regional festivals such as Shital Sasthi in the Western Orissa, particularly in Sambalpur.
Orissa is an agricultural state. Most of the festivals in this state are linked with agriculture. Akshaya Trutiya, Raja Sankranti and Manabasha Gurubar are celebrated for more and more harvest. Farmers begin to sow seeds from the day of Akshaya Trutiya. Raja Festival-is celebrated in Orissa for three days. It is believed that mother Earth becomes fertile from this day.
Some festivals are celebrated in specific months and seasons. Mahavishuba Sankranti which is the summer festival in Orissa is held in the month of Baisakh. Raja Sankranti shows the advent of Rainy Season. The car festival of Puri is held in Asadha.
Ganesh Chaturthi is held in the month of Bhadrab while Shree Panchami in the month of Magha. Students worship Lord Ganesh and Goddess Saraswati for learning. Kumar Purnima is an Oriya festival. It is celebrated by the young unmarried girls. They worship the moon and spend the full moon night in singing songs. Dola is a festival of the Spring Season.
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In Orissa, people attach great importance to many single day festivals such “as Shivaratri, Prathamastami, Makar Sankranti, Samba Dasami, Sri Rama Navami, Snana Purnima, Janmastami etc. Each festival is related to a particular legend, for example, on the Samba Dasami. People worship the Sun God. They believe that the son of Lord Krishna got rid of the Leprosy disease by worshipping the Sun God. In Orissa, people prepare different cakes on different festivals.
There are some common festivals which are celebrated in Orissa and other states. But there are some festivals which are strictly Oriya in character and celebration. Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Shivaratri, Sri Ram Navami etc. are celebrated both in Orissa and other states. But Chandan Yatra, Snan Purnima, Savitri Amabasya, Chitalagi Amabasya, Baula Amabasya, Tarini Brata etc. are some of the festivals which are celebrated only in Orissa. People wear new dress on these festivals. They also invite their friends and relatives to their houses. These festivals signify the religious life of the people in Orissa.