The “Sume-Gelirak’ festival held among the Bondas is unique in character. All the year round young men look forward to the Sumer-Gelirak. Even middle aged women, they say, look pretty then. It is a moral holiday, a week off from inhibitions, a relaxation from the tedious round of agricultural operations, break in the dietic monotony of everyday. The normal restraints that check the relationship of boys and girls in a village are largely forgotten. Members of the same Bansa or Kuda relatives in the forbidden degree find every freedom to flirt, excite themselves with obscene horse play and very occasionally even retire together to the woods. In a dance a girl may steal a youth’s cloth and wear it; this gives him the right, later on, to drag her away into the darkness and she must not object.The Sume-Gerlirak begins on Sunday and lasts for ten days. Beginning with routine propitiations of demigods and demons, it precedes to series of heavy meals, one of which is first eating of new beers. The dramatic castigation ceremonies follow, boys and girls make dancing expeditions to neighbouring villages, Bursung is worshipped, and finally Sisa (Priest) goes to the forest and performs a token cutting of grass and Kerang branches. Dancing begins on the fourth day and continues till the end.The castigation begins with little boys. Some one takes the Kinding sagar, the sacred drum, from the Sisa’s house and begins to beat it on the Sindibor. Other drummers join him and the people assemble. Small boys arm themselves with long switches-sago-palm branches stripped off their leaves-and two by two stand up before the Sindibor and hit each other as hard as they can. The Sisa and his assistant begin, they bow to each other with folded hands, dance round and round, and then with all their strength his one another with their switches. Blood soon flows from their wounds and when they have had enough the two men touch each other’s feed and warmly embrace, each hugging and lifting the other in the air.

      Among the Kondhs, Koyas and Gadabas communal dances are observed on the occasion of marriage and religious festivals. There are no public games among these people where adults participate. Hunting affords an exciting sport for them. Among other rural people such country games like Dodo, Bouchori, etc. are prevalent.

       The greatest festival of the district is Dashara feast observed at Jeypore. This festival is held in honour of Kanaka Durga (Golden Durga) whose temple is situated within the palace. This festival lasts for sixteen days and a series of ceremonies are held throughout the period. The legend of human sacrifice is associated with this festival but since long only animals like the goats and the sheep are offered for sacrifice. Curiously enough the flowers which adorn these animals are described as “Mariah Puspa” as a reminiscent of human sacrifice. On the sixteenth day buffaloes are also sacrificed.

       Sivaratri, Holi and the Ratha Jatra are among the other chief festivals of the Hindus. On Sivaratri people gather in large number at the Gupteswar caves in the Jeypore Tehsil. During Holi or the Swing festival imitation flowers of paper or Pith are tied in bunches to bamboo poles 20 feet or more in length, called dhandas. On the night before full-moon these dhandas are carried in procession with music and dancing to a bonfire which is lighted in the north of the town and are thrown into flames. The god Vishnu is carried thrice round the fire. On the next day, the day of the full-moon, the image of the god is placed upon a swing hung for the occasion and is swung upon it. Swingsare set up in the night singing songs. On the following day everybody, irrespective of age and sex, throws coloured water and water and coloured powder on each other. At the Ratha Jatra idols of Jagannath are placed on cars (Ratha) and are taken out in procession at Jeypore, Koraput, Sunabeda and other important centers.