Kartika Purnima is closely associated with
Prabodhini Ekadashi, which marks the end of the
chaturmasya, a four-month period when
Bhagwan Vishnu is believed to sleep. Prabodhini Ekadashi signifies the awakening of the god. Many fairs that begin on Prabodhini Ekadashi end on Kartika Purnima, Kartika Purnima usually being the most important day of the fair. Fairs that conclude on this day include Prabodhini Ekadashi celebrations at
Pandharpur and
Pushkar Fair. Kartika Purnima is also the last day to perform the
Tulasi Vivaha ceremony, which can be performed from Prabodhini Ekadashi. Also, it is believed that on this day, Bhagwan Vishnu returns to his abode after completing his stay with king
Mahabali, another reason why the day is known as Deva-Diwali. In
Pushkar, Rajasthan, the Pushkar Fair or
Pushkar mela commences on Prabodhini Ekadashi and continues till Kartika Purnima, the latter being the most important. This fair is held in honour of the god
Brahma, whose
temple stands at Pushkar. A ritual bath on Kartika Purnima in the
Pushkar Lake is considered to lead one to salvation. It is believed circling the three Pushkars on Kartika Purnima is highly meritorious.
Sadhus gather here and stay from Ekadashi to full moon day in caves. About 200,000 people and 25,000 camels assemble in Pushkar for the fair, which is Asia's largest camel fair. A
ritual bath at a
tirtha (a
sacred water body like a lake or river) at a pilgrimage centre is prescribed on Kartika Purnima. This holy bath is known as "Kartika snana".
Annakuta, an offering of food to the deities, is held in temples. People who have taken vows on
Ashvin Purnima end them on Kartika Purnima. Bhagwan Vishnu is also worshipped on this day. Any form of violence (
himsa) is prohibited on this day. This includes shaving, hair-cutting, cutting of trees, plucking of fruits and flowers, cutting of crops and even sexual intercourse. To commemorate the killing of Tripurasura, images of Bhagwan Shiva are carried in procession. Temple complexes in southern India are lit up throughout the night.
Deepmalas or towers of lights are illuminated in temples. People place 360 or 720 wicks in temples, to secure escape from
hell after death. The 720 wicks symbolize the 360 days and nights of the Hindu calendar. People gift lamps to priests. The lamps are kept throughout the night in houses and Bhagwan Shiva temples. This day is also known as "Kartika Diparatna" - the jewel of lamps in Kartika. In Telugu households of
Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana, Karthika Maasamu (month) is considered very auspicious. The Kartika month starts on the day after Deepavali according to the (
amanta tradition). From that day till the end of the month, oil lamps are lit every day. On Karthika Purnima, oil lamps with 365 wicks prepared at home are lit in Shiva temples. Apart from that, Kartika Puranam is read, and fasting is observed till sunset, every day for the whole month. The
Swaminarayan Sampradaya also celebrates this day with faith and fervor. by heading for the nearest water body to set afloat miniature boats, originally made out of banana stem and coconut stick, lit with
Deepak (lamps), fabric, betel leaves.
Boita stands for boat or ship. The festival is a mass commemoration of the state's glorious maritime history when it was known as
Kalinga and tradesmen and mariners known as
sadhabas traveled on
boitas to trade with distant island nations that share borders with the
Bay of Bengal like
Indonesia,
Java,
Sumatra and
Bali. During Kartika month, the entire Hindu population of
Odisha becomes strictly vegetarian. They observe the month with auspicious customs, continuing till the traditional ceremony of Panchuka which falls on the last five days of the month, from Dev Uthni Ekadashi to Kartik Purnima. The ninth day of the brighter half of the month of Kartik is called "Anlā Navami" (Kartik Shukla Paksha Navami) from which the preparations of Panchuka starts. It is also said that these five days of Pachuka are so auspicious that even the crane (in odia- ବଗ) refuses to eat meat. The period of chaturmaasya ends on ekadashi, and with the final day of Kartik month, the full moon night, kick starts the festivities associated with the Margasira month famous for the Gurubaara Laxmi Puja (Margasira Gurubaara, ମାଣବସା ଗୁରୁବାର) in Odisha
. Chhāda Khāi The Kartika month ends on Kartika Purnima. The day after Kartika Purnima is called Chhada Khai (ଛାଡ଼ ଖାଇ) when non-vegetarians can again start their normal diet. However the exact day depends on what date Chhada Khai occurs, so Odia Hindus can't eat non-vegetarian food on specific days which varies with family custom, the most common being Thursday, on which most families avoid non-vegetarian food, so a suitable day after the completion of Kartik month is chosen which mostly is a Wednesday, Friday or a Sunday occurring after the Kartik Purnima, so Chhada Khai may not fall on the next day of Kartik Purnima. By the way, the most fascinating part of Kartika Purnima in Odisha is the celebration of historic Boita Bandana to commemorate the Bali Jatra commenced by ancient Kalinga merchants and associated fleet to do trade in far South East Asia like Bali, Indonesia etc.
Karthika Deepam In
Tamil Nadu,
Karthika Deepam is celebrated where the Purnima corresponds to the Krittika nakshatra. People light rows of lamps on their balconies. In
Tiruvannamalai, a ten-day annual festival is held to celebrate Karthika Deepam. ==Jainism==