Sital Sasthi 2024: Date, Puja Vidhi, Significance and Timings

Among Hindus, Sital Sasthi 2024 is a sacred Vedic ritual observed mainly in Odisha. The festival is a week-long celebration of Lord Shiva’s and Goddess Parvati’s wedding. According to the Hindu calendar, Sital Sasthi is celebrated in the Shukla Paksha on the sixth day of Jyestha month.

According to the Gregorian calendar, Sital Sasthi is celebrated in May and June. During this week-long festival, people participate in large numbers, making it the most famous festival of Sambalpur Sital Sasthi 2024.

Devotees celebrate the festival because they think that Lord Shiva shows the scorching heat of summer, whereas Goddess Parvati represents the first rain. Hence, this holy and sacred wedding is conducted for a good monsoon.

People in Odisha celebrate the festival with joy and happiness. Pandit comes to perform Sital Sasthi with proper puja vidhi followed by Vedic mantras.

To know more details about Sital Sasthi 2024, the article will help you to understand it. We will describe the date of Sital Sasthi 2024, puja vidhi, significance, and puja timings.

Date of Sital Sasthi 2024

In the Hindu Samwat calendar, people celebrate Sital Sasthi 2024 on the 6th Day of the auspicious month of Jyeshta in the Shukla paksha. According to the Gregorian calendar, the festival comes between May and June.

This year, people will celebrate the sacred occasion of Sital Sasthi on June 11, 2024, which falls on a Tuesday.

Sunrise	June 11, 5:44 AM
Sunset	June 11, 7:08 PM
Shasthi Tithi Timing	June 11, 05:27 PM – June 12, 07:17 PM

 

What is Sital Sasthi 2024?

The Hindu festival of Sital Sasthi commemorates Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati’s glorious marriage. It occurs on the ‘sasthi’ (6th day) of the ‘Shukla Paksha’ (the waxing phase of the moon) in the ‘Jyestha’ month of the traditional Hindu calendar. This date corresponds to May and June in the Gregorian calendar.

Sital Sasthi is a one-of-a-kind celebration celebrated in carnival style. Artists and people from all walks of life gather to join in the festivities, bringing forth the most beautiful and authentic hues of life.

Sital Sasthi is celebrated with enormous enthusiasm and joy throughout India, notably in the Sambalpur area of Orissa. The Sambalpur Carnival on Sital Sasthi is a prominent festival that attracts hundreds of tourists from around the world.

Significance of Sital Sasthi

As described in Shiv Purana, the day celebrating the wedding of Shiva and Parvati is called Sital Sasthi, when the divine couple tied the knot, and since ancient times, this has been celebrated.

According to our ancient scriptures, Goddess Parvati did rigorous Jap and Tap to achieve the Lord Shiva as her husband. On Jyestha shukla paksha sasthi, Shiva was impressed by the Goddess Parvati’s devotion and was satisfied with her austerity, then the love marriage took place. To kill the demon named ‘Tarakasura,’ Lord Kartikeya was born from the energy of Shiva and Parvati.

In 2024, people celebrate Sital Sasthi as the ‘Monsoon wedding’ of the divine couple Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, symbolizing the beginning of the monsoon season. Lord Shiva’s extreme severity is a sign of intense heat waves during the summer season.

Natives, especially farmers, observe the start of the monsoon through the divine marriage ceremony on Sital Sasthi.

Why did Sital Sasthi Perform?

When the preparation started for the Rath yatra in Puri on Akshay Tritiya, like a ritual begun on the same day in Sambalpur for the popular Sital sasthi yatra, where people celebrate the marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

The festival started with the first ritual, ‘Thala Utha,’ performed in various temples. Thousands of people came and participated with full devotion to witness the ‘divine unity’ of the ‘Prakriti’ with ‘Purusha’.

The ritual Thala also represents the beginning of fundraising for the Sital Sasthi yatra. The devotees go door-to-door to collect the funds for the Yatra. According to festival tradition, the temple priest plays the role of bride and senior member of the relevant pada.

After executing the puja, the priest drives around in their particular location with a Thal (tray) to get the funds for the marriage. People, as per their devotion, donate to their capacity. The ritual is called ‘Thalautha’.

This is obvious because the father of the bride remains busy for the whole month with wedding preparations, which are no way less than the wedding in the home of their son or daughter.

The source states that Loknath Baba of Jhaduapada, Balunkeshwar Baba of Nandapada, and Jageswar Baba of Mudipada initiated the Thala utha rituals today, following customs on the festival of Akshaya Tritiya and Krushak Divas.

Lakhs of people gathered during the Sital Sasthi 2024 festival to see the divine couple and get a glimpse of the ritual.

Puja Vidhi of Sital Sasthi

Observation of Sital Sasthi spans five days. On the first day of the festival, ‘Patra Pendi’ families select Parvati to adopt in Sambalpur. After two days, Goddess Parvati’s idol comes to the adopted parents’ house.

Lord Shiva is ‘Swayambhu,’ and no one adopts him or plays his parent’s role. Then, the grand parade takes the bride to the marriage ceremony during the night. Similarly, Lord Shiva, escorted by other Hindu deities and Goddesses, comes to the place of the wedding ceremony. Lord Hanuman and Lord Narsimha lead the grand parade.

In this festival, like other Hindu marriages, people perform all the rituals. People participating in marriage from the nearby villages, states, and beyond witness the rituals.

Another part of the ritual is where Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati tie the knot in a grand procession with the devotees as a witness and the divine couple proceed for ‘Nagar Parikrama’. Performers catch the devotee’s attention by presenting folk music, dance, and other elements.

The villagers across the village refer to the journey as ‘Sital Sasthi’ yatra. Several castrates take part in the festival, like Lord Shiva, called ‘Ardhnarishwar.’ This is the other name of Lord Shiva.

Fasting Rules for Sital Sasthi

Some devotees do the Sitalsasthi ceremonies diligently. During this period, we recommend that people stay at home, wake up early on a festival day, and bathe before or during sunrise. They clean their home temples and present fresh flowers and other sacred objects to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

Devotees perform special prayers and mantras with tremendous zeal for Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Many devotees also observe the sacred Sital Sasthi Vrat. In certain sections of the state, the occasion is celebrated as a legitimate marriage.

Many believe that weddings herald a successful monsoon season because Lord Shiva represents summer and Parvati represents the first showers. During Sitalsasthi, people celebrate lavishly, treating it like a festival.

Essential Things of Sital Sasthi

• People celebrate the festival and think that Lord Shiva describes the scorching heat of summer while Goddess Parvati represents the first rain.
• They celebrate this auspicious and holy wedding in good weather.
• During Sital Sasthi, two families adopt Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and formalize their marriage through rituals.
• Once the marriage is executed, a parade carries God and Goddess around the city.

Conclusion

People in Odisha celebrate Sital Sasthi, a week-long festival. This commemorates the marriage ceremony of Lord Shiva and Goddess deity. They conduct the festival on the sixth day of Jyeshtha shukla paksha.

However, the western Odisha city celebrates the marriage of the divine couple Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. People will celebrate the festival on June 11, 2024, this year. The preparations for festivals started a month ago.

As per the Thala utha ritual, people collect funds for the Sital Sasthi yatra, and the Deities move around the town in a parade. Devotees celebrate the festival because they think Lord Shiva represents the scorching heat of summer, whereas Goddess Parvati represents the first rain. Hence, people perform the holy ritual for a good monsoon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.What is Sital Sasthi 2024?

A.The Hindu festival of Sital Sasthi marks Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati’s glorious marriage. It occurs on the sasthi (6th day) of the ‘Shukla Paksha’ in the ‘Jyestha’ month of the traditional Hindu calendar.

Q.What is the date of Sital Sasthi 2024?

A.The sacred occasion Sital Sasthi will be celebrated this year on June 11, 2024, i.e., Tuesday.

Q.How to perform the Sital Sasthi festival?

A.Among Hindus, Sital Sasthi 2024 is a sacred Vedic ritual observed especially in Odisha. The festival is week-long and highlights the wedding of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

Q.What is the Thala Utha ritual?

A.When puja is completed, people drive around their particular location with a Thal (tray) to collect funds for the marriage. People, as per their devotion, donate to their capacity. Such a ritual is called ‘Thalautha’.

Q.Where is the festival Sital Sathi 2024 most celebrated?

A.Sital Sasthi is celebrated with enormous enthusiasm and joy throughout India, notably in the Sambalpur area of Orissa.