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Kumar Poornima in Orissa / kojagiri Poornima in Maharashtra / Sharad Poornima.
Yet again we celebrate the full moon !!

It is great to know how nature was worshipped during olden days and the traditions continue .
This day of Full moon is believed to be another auspicious day of the Hindu Calender .It is the only day when the Moon is at its fullest with all its sixteen Kalas. Those like Lord Krishna with 16 Kalas are believed to be perfect personalities .
The moonlight on this night is believed to posses amazing medical properties . Hence we prepare delicacies and milk and let it absorb the moonlight ( amrit Varsha ) so that we can absorb it into our body too.

Many people stay awake through out the night under the moon light to rejuvenate the body ! Goddess Laxmi and Indra Dev and Kartikye are worshiped .
Scientific touch :
It is believed that the moon is closer to the Earth on this day and it showers elixir of life upon people !! The rays have certain healing properties that nourish the body and soul .
There is a tradition of drinking cold milk absorbed in the moon Rays . Now on the days become hot and nights cooler so drinking of cold milk helps cure acidity as it's becomes predominant during such weather conditions .

In Orissa we celebrate it as Kumar Poornima. Here are a few things we do on this day .

Small girls to young all Maidens wake up much before sunrise, bathe and get dressed to perform the ‘Janhi Osa’ where they offer to the sun god, palmful of ‘khae’ with ‘janhi’ (striped gourd), cucumber, banana, coconut, gua (betel nut), etc. known as ‘Anjuli’. They also lighten a diya and perform a puja to pay reverence to the Almighty for a suitable bridegroom. The same ritual is performed in the evening, but with ‘Chanda chakata’.

Lord Kumar Kartikeya, the son of Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati, was very good-looking and the most eligible bachelor in the kingdom of gods. Therefore, maidens celebrate this festival and perform rituals, aspiring for a husband, as handsome as him.
The full moon is the centre of attraction in this festival. Girls raise the ‘Chanda chakata’ and pray to the moon. The moon is also synonymous to a handsome husband that the girls are seeking for themselves. Old grannies are of the opinion that a girl has to see the ‘Udila Janha’ (the fresh moon that has just risen on the horizon) for a young and attractive husband; if one takes too long to see the just-risen moon, then an old and senile bridegroom is in their destiny.


This marks the beginning of the suspicious month of Kartik .Lord Jagannath and Krishna are prayed throughout the month of ‘Kartika’ that commences from the day after Kumara Purnima till ‘Rasa’ purnima.


Note :
The ‘Chanda chakata’ is a delicacy made up of ‘khaee’, jaggery, banana, coconut, ginger, sugarcane, talasajja, cucumber, ghee, honey and milk is laid on a ‘kula’ (winnowing fan) in the shape of a half moon and offered to the moon. It is then rolled into fistfuls of balls and partaken of. This tasty delight is also distributed among neighbours.