Angul is not only a land of magnificent hill ranges, old monuments, virgin and long river beds, downy flakes melodious jungle streams, healing hot springs, luxuriant forests, picturesque landscape, industrial houses but also a land of exciting and exuberant fasts and festivals. All the seasons of the year are marked with a variety of colourful celebrations. The fasts of folk-life and modernity of an industrial society. The traditions and customs, rites and rituals, dances and delicacies of the district are just precipitous, In these occasions people are seen in best of their attire, costumes and pageantry.

The fasts and festivals of the district are mostly of two types i.e. Sarbajanina or community based and Gharoi or family based. The Gharoi or family festivals are those, which are mostly observed at the level of families as per the traditions of their Kula, Gotra and Varna. A group of families consisting of same kinship or lineage also observe them in common. The Gurubara Manabasa, Sudasa Brata, Sabitri Brata, etc. are some such fasts.

The Sarbajanina festivals are celebrated with pump and ceremony by the people in general at the community level. Some major fasts and festivals of the district are described below.

Ratha Yatra  World famous Car festival of Lord Jagannath at Puri is celebrated as one of the most significant festival of the state. Accordingly, Ratha Yatra is also celebrated with full ceremonial approach at Talcher, Angul, Pallahara and Athamallik with all traditional rites and rituals.

Chandan Yatra This starts from Akhaya trutiya and ends on Chandan Purnima. A smaller replica of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken to the sacred tank for boating. This is aimed for providing comfort and coolness to the Lords from summer. This is celebrated in the Jagannath temples of the district located at Angul, Talamul, Bagedia, Papsara, Khamar and Boinda.

Hingula Yatra Hingula Yatra is celebrated with pump and ceremony in Talcher sub-division of the district at the temple of Hingula Thakurani near Gopalprasad. It is regarded as the most significant festival of the district, which draws people from different corners of the state. This is celebrated on Bishnu Damanaka Chaturdasi tithi as per oriya Pajika.

Akshaya Trutiya  This festival is considered as the most ceremonial and auspicious day for sowing of paddy for the current agricultural season. Oblation is offered to Goddess Laxmi. It is also the beginning day of the construction work of Ratha of Lord Jagannath for the ensuing Car Festival.

Ganesh Puja The festival is celebrated on the 4th Day of the bright fortnight of lunar month of Bhadrab. Besides different schools, colleges, business houses Ganesh Puja is celebrated with full gaiety and traditional rituals at Talcher. The festival continues to be celebrated for a period of around 11 days, which attracts people from the whole district. Different prominent cultural troops and musical parties from the neighbouring states participate on this occasion. Talcher Ganesh Puja occupies a prominent position in the state for its colourful and ceremonial observance.

Viswakarma puja This is the puja of Lord viswakarma, the main architect of the universe who had fabricated the universe as per the direction of Brahma, the lord of creation. Mostly this puja is observed in Factories, industrial houses, workshops and other related fabrication houses, Engineering establishments. The important celebration of Biswakarma Puja of the district includes, TTPS (Thermal), NALCO, F.C.I., Rengali and M.C.L. areas.

Nuakhai This is the festival of offering the first rice harvested from the agricultural fields to the God/Goddess before human consumption. It is observed on Bhadraba Sukla Panchami Tithi. Specially in Athamallik sub division, this festival is celebrated with care and courage.

LaxmiPuja Gaja Laxmi puja starts from the day of Kumar Purnima and continues till the next 10 days at Angul. Beautiful images of Goddess Laxmi are prepared in clay and worshiped on brightly decorated puja pendals. This is the most popular and colourful function of the district observed with much pump and ceremony. Besides Angul town, Laxmi puja is also celebrated at Banarpal, Koshala, Athmallik and Pallahara.

Kartika Purnima This is observed on the last day of the lunar month of Kartika. This is specially regarded as the most sacred purnima of the Hindus. Rasa Ustav is also observed to pay honour to Lord Krushna and Radha. To mark the great tradition and cultural heritage of Odisha’s trading community, Boita Bandan is celebrated symbolically through out the district by floating decorative toy boats in the nearby rivers and ponds.

Saraswati Puja This is observed on the fifth day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Magha. Devi Saraswati is worshiped by the students as the Goddess of wisdom and knowledge. Besides, clubs, cultural houses and other institutions also celebrate the puja in the district.

Durga Puja Being the most colourful festival of the state, Durga Puja is celebrated with rites and rituals throughout the district. The Mahanadi Coal Field areas observe Durga Puja in a big-way with more than 20 numbers of Puja Mandapas. Besides at Angul on the day of Dusahara the famous ‘Ravanpodi’ Utsav is also observed to mark the victory
of truth over the evil power.

Danda Nritya Danda Nritya is the premier and most ancient folk-dance of the district of Angul. This is practiced in all the four sub-divisions of the district. It is a composite synthesis of dance, drama, song and music blended with mythical tales and striking realities of worldly life. This folk-dance is a kind of penance and offering to the almighty for eliciting the blessings of salvation.

This dance commences in between last week of March and 1st of April and ends with Mahabisuva Sankranti i.e mid of April in each year. The devotees who undertake this dance are called Bhuktas. The leader of the group is called the Patabhukta. They lead a hard and sacred life with much austerity during these days and remain away from home. They undertake bodily penance and practice Yogatantra to get the divine grace. The ritual trances of the Nritya proceed as follows. The Dandautha is done before 14 to 21 days of Bisuva Sankranti with a series of rituals and worship at the mid-night. The next day morning witness the Danda-Yatra in which the symbolic representative of God (Shiva) and Goddesses (Paravati) are taken in procession through out the village with the royal decorations,
music, dance and sankriatns. At the time of processions, the decorative items like Chhatri, Chhatra, Alata, Chamara and musical instruments like Veri, Turi, Ghanta, Sankha, Dhola are used. The deities that are taken in procession are known as Siva-Parvati and Parava (Mahakali). The Danda Players decorate themselves with sacred thread and yellow clothes and perform the different phases which includes Dhuli danda, Pani danda, Ratri-Ujagar danda as per its traditional rituals.