It is a festival unique to Orissa

Orissa

Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

 and is celebrated on 10th day of the Sukla Paksha of Pausha

Pausha

Pausha is a month of the Hindu calendar In the Indian national calendar, Pausha is the tenth month of the year, beginning with the solstice on 22 December and ending on 20 January....

 Masa. Legends say that Samba, the son of Lord Krishna

Krishna

Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

, was afflicted by leprosy

Leprosy

Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...

 and he was cured by Surya, the Sun God, after 12 years of penance near Konark

Konark

Konark is a small town in Puri district in the state of Orissa, India, on the Bay of Bengal, sixty-five kilometers from Bhubaneswar. It is the site of the 13th-century Sun Temple , built in black granite by King Narasimhadeva-I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is a World Heritage Site...

. So on this day, all mothers pray to Sun God to keep their kids healthy.

Tradition

On this day, female folks of the family wake up early in the morning before sun rise. After bathing,they prepare variety of food items
like, Khichdi, Udiya Puli,Ghadghadia Tarkari (a curry item) and offer them to Sun God during sun rise. One of the specific
characters of this ritual is variety of individual food item is offered to Sun God in the name of each member of the family. After that female folks of the families go on preparing variety of Pitha

Pitha

Pitha , or pithe is a type of cake or bread common in Bangladesh and India, especially the eastern states of Assam, Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and the northeastern region. Pithas are typically made of rice flour, although there are some types of pitha made of wheat flour...

 (Cake) like; Manda Pitha, Kakara Pitha

Kakara pitha

A very sweet deep fried cake from Orissa offered to God and served hot or cold on many festivals.-Ingredients:Atta – 300 gmChinni -250 gmNadia – ½ a CoconutGujurati – 4 pcsChhena-100 gm...

, Arisha Pitha, BiriLaddoo and other items like MakarChaula, Chhenaguda,, DhanuMuaan, sweet dishes like Khiri, Rasagola, Jhilli, Chhenagaja,
Sweet Curd etc. all over the day. In the noon time, a bowl of turmericwater with a beetle in it is taken to ‘chaunra mula’ (a small temple likes tructure with a Tulsi plant overhead). All the cooked foods are served in plates. Then female heads of the family see the face of Sun God through the bowl of turmeric water and offer all the cuisine to the God. They readthe legend of ‘Samba Dasami Brata Katha’ and pray for the well-being of the whole family members.In the late night or evening, anotherpuja is observed as a part of SambaDasami ritual. This is known as‘Mahakala Puja’. Special Budha Chakuli is offered to Yama

Yama

Yama , also known as Yamarāja in India and Nepal, Shinje in Tibet, Yanluowang or simply Yan in China, Yeomla Daewang in South Korea and Enma Dai-Ō in Japan, is the lord of death, in Hinduism and then adopted into Buddhism and then further into Chinese mythology and Japanese mythology. First...

.

Reference

• worship of suryahttp://www.hindu-blog.com/2009/12/samba-dashami-2009-date-in-orissa-samba.html
• details of the ritualshttp://www.eodissa.com/moodissa/specialdays/205-samba-dasami