Nuakhai fest begins in Western Odisha with traditional fervour

Bhubaneswar, Sept 1: Nuakhai, the harvest festival of western Odisha began with traditional fervour across Western Odisha on Thursday.

The people waited till the ‘muhurta’ to partake in the new crop and celebrated the day after offering puja in the temples of their areas.

People, along with their kin partook the delicious dishes prepared specially for the occasion. The children living outside had returned to be with their parents.

The farmers offer the first produce from their lands to Goddess Samaleswari, to whom the festival is dedicated.

As per the Hindu calendar, the day falls on the Panchami Tithi of the lunar fortnight in Bhadrapada (August–September) months, the day after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

The preparation for the festival starts at least 15 days ahead. Nuakhai is understood to have nine colours and as a consequence, nine sets of rituals are followed as a prelude to the actual day of celebration. The houses are cleaned up, new clothes are bought and on the big day, everyone is decked up in their best.

 The festival is celebrated not only across districts like Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Balangir, Bargarh, Sundargarh, Nuapada, Jharsuguda, Sonepur, and Boudh but also across several areas of Jharkhand.