Greet the arrival of food in fervour

Natives performing Dalkhai during Navarna in Sambalpur.

BHUBANESWAR: Onam is to Kerala, Pongal is to Tamil Nadu, and Bihu is to Assam, Nuakhai is the same harvest festival to Odisha and is observed throughout the western part of the state.

Nuakhai, the traditional day long festival held in Odisha to welcome the new paddy crop after offering new grain to the presiding deity Samaleswari at Sambalpur.

“People who are away from their native places gathered at one place at one time to celebrate Nuakhai. This is an amazing moment comes once in a year and we all waited for this day eagerly,” said Sumeet a native of Balangir (western district of Odisha).

People organise the festival with the head of the family distributing new rice produced out of the first harvest after offering Nua-dhan (new rice). Another significant part of the festival is that younger members get blessings from their elders in the house and also locality. People also exchange greetings among themselves on the evening of the festive day which is called Nuakhai Bhet Ghat(social gathering).

“As Nuakhai is a harvesting festival, we first serve the Nua-dhan (new rice) to our deity Samleswari at a decided time then we all ate together. This year the festival is being celebrated on the fifth day of Bhadraba month in Odia Calender,” said Dhanapati Parida, priest at Samaleswari temple, Sambalpur.

Despite of the ongoing agitation for a separate Koshal state and a new High Court bench in Western Odisha, the people celebrate Nuakhai with gaiety and fervour.