Bhubaneswar: Sabitri Brata is observed by married women by fasting and then offering prayers to Yama (god of death), Sabitri, and Satyaban with great devotion and fervour for the long life of their husbands.
As per the Hindu beliefs, on this day Sabitri got back her dead husband Satyavan back from Yamraj with her devotion and worship.
On this auspicious occasion, married women throng the nearest temple with ‘sindoor’, ‘alta’, bangles, sacred thread (Brata) fruits, and flowers and pray for the well-being and long lives of their respective husbands.
It is particularly observed in Maharashtra, Odisha, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. Women in South India such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu observe the holy day under a different name as Karadaiyan Nonbu.
While this puja is associated with the married Indian women across India, transgenders in Odisha too observe fast on this day as they pray for the well-being and long life of their ‘gurus’.