Subhechcha Ganguly 
India’s western Odisha and southern Chhattisgarh regions are where most people celebrate Nuakhai, a festival dedicated to agriculture. It is customary in Nuakhai to welcome the new rice harvest. According to the calendar, it is celebrated the day after Ganesh Chaturthi on panchami tithi (the fifth day) of the lunar fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada or Bhadraba (August-September). This is the most significant social event in Western Odisha and the nearby Simdega region of Jharkhand, where Western Odisha culture is very prevalent. Because Nuakhai is a very large and distinctive festival, it is important for every Indian to be familiar with its history if they enjoy any type of food.
An insight about the festival
Credits: Bigbite Tales
Other names for Nuakhai include Nuakhai Parab and Nuakhai Bhetghat. In Chhattisgarh, it is also known as Navakhai Parv. The name indicates that the farmers are in possession of recently harvested rice because “nua” means new and” khai” means food. The celebration, which takes place the day after Ganesh Chaturthi, is viewed as a new sign of hope. For farmers and the agricultural community, it is very important. The festival celebrated at a particular time of day which is called lagan. For this festival, Aersaa Pithaa is prepared.
People recall their local god or goddess before having their nua when the lagan arrives.
Puja and other festivities
The Hindu priests used astrology to choose the tithi (day) and samaya (time) of the celebration every year. At the Brahmapura Jagannath temple in Sambalpur, priests gathered together and calculated the date and time. In the names of Pataneswari Devi in the Balangir-Patnagarh region, Sureswari Devi in the Subarnapur region, and Manikeswari Devi in the Kalahandi region, the tithi and lagna were calculated.
In Sundargarh, the royal family first performed Puja (worship) for the goddess Sekharbasini in the temple that is only open to Nuakhai. The chief priest of the Samaleswari Temple in Sambalpur presents the nua-anna or nabanna to the goddess Samaleswari, the city’s patron deity, at the designated lagna (auspicious moment).
By Subhechcha Ganguly
