Food that you can have during Kumar Purnima fasting, Read to know more
The food of Kumar Purnima is not just about eating, it is deeply connected with faith, tradition, and health. Check for more details.
Kumar Purnima is a special festival celebrated mainly in Odisha, dedicated to Lord Kartikeya, also known as Kumar, the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
Young girls across the state of Odisha perform traditional rituals with a popular belief that they will get a perfect life partner like Kumar or Kartikeya. Prayer and food is offered to sun and the moon on this day with two separate and unique set of rituals.
During the day, girls keep a fast by eating little or nothing. After the evening puja, they break the fast with special traditional foods. These foods are pure, light and full of cultural significance. They are first offered to the moon as prasad and then eaten.
Here are 5 foods that you can have during Kumar Purnima fasting:
1. Chanda Chakata
This is the most important food of Kumar Purnima. It is prepared by mixing Khai with jaggery, banana, coconut, ginger, sugarcane, tala saja (ice apple), cucumber, ghee, honey and milk.
It is considered as a sacred offering to the moon.
2. Fruits
Fresh fruits like bananas, guavas, apples, sugarcane and seasonal local fruits are an essential part of the puja. Fruits are natural, light and full of vitamins, making them ideal for fasting.
After the moon worship, these fruits are shared among family members as prasad.
3. Milk and Curd
Dairy products such as milk, curd and chena are considered very pure and are used in the offerings. Milk is often used to prepare sweets like khiri and curd is eaten plain or mixed with fruits.
These foods are filling and provide strength after fasting the whole day.
4. Sweets
Traditional Odia sweets like khiri, manda pitha, kakara pitha and chena based sweets are made for Kumar Purnima. These sweets are first offered to the moon and then distributed as prasad.
They not only add sweetness to the celebration but also represent prosperity and joy.
5. Sabudana Dishes
Sabudana (tapioca pearls) is one of the most common fasting foods because it gives quick energy and is very easy to digest. Popular dishes include sabudana khichdi, sabudana kheer and sabudana vada.
These dishes are simple yet filling, making them perfect for breaking the Kumar Purnima fast.
The food of Kumar Purnima is not just about eating, it is deeply connected with faith, tradition and health. These foods are light, natural, and full of cultural meaning, reminding us of purity, prosperity and divine blessings.
Kumar Purnima is therefore not only a spiritual festival but also a celebration of healthy, traditional food that connects people with nature and the divine.
