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There's a famous saying in Odisha "Bara masa re tera parba" (13 festivals in 12 months)
Nuakhai also known as Nuakhai Juhar is an agricultural festival celebrated in Western Odisha.
Nua means new and Khai means food. Nuakhai is observed to celebrate the newly harvested crops by the farmers.
Nuakhai falls in the fifth day of the month of Bhadrapada, the day following Ganesh Chaturthi. On this day, people worship food grains which is considered as a new ray of hope for the farmers. The farmers offer their first cultivated crop of the season to Goddess Samaleshwari of Sambalpur. The festival is mainly celebrated in Kalahandi, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Balangir, Boudh, Bargarh and Nuapada districts of Odisha.
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The newly harvested rice is cooked and offered to Goddess and after that the entire family sit to eat together. On the previous day, the houses are cleaned properly and on the day of nuakhai everyone wear new clothes.
The festival also symbolizes re-starting of relationship forgetting bitter past. On this day, people meet one another, exchange gifts among them and seek blessings.
Along with cooking new rice, several other delicacies are prepared like manda pitha, arisa pitha, kakera, feni, kheeri etc. A dish named "nua" is prepared using new rice, milk, coconut, til and honey.
People wake up before sunrise and on the auspicious muhrat, they perform pooja. After the pooja,the farmers go to their field and do pooja of their crops by offering milk. They also worship their cattle by tying rakhi on their horn and giving them jaggery to eat.
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(A farmer offering milk to his crops)
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Nuakhai has nine set of rituals to follow which as are follows:-
• Beheren which means announcement of a meeting to set the date. • Lagna dekha which means setting the exact date for partaking of new rice. • Daka haka which means invitation. • Sapha sutura and lipa pocha which means cleaning house. • Kina bika which means purchasing new things. • Nua dhan khuja which means looking for the new crop. • Bali paka which means offering prasad to deity. • Nua khai which means eating the new crop offered to the deity. • Juhar bhet which means paying respect to elders and exchanging gifts.
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(A priest doing pooja of Maa Samaleshwari)
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(A traditional Nuakhai lunch)
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Nuakhai festival gives the society a message about how relevant agriculture is in the economic progress of the country and the role of farmers in strengthening our economy. Farmers are a key factor of the development of our nation and should never be disrespected. The festival of nuakhai also teaches us to reconnect with family and loved ones.
On this day, people forget their differences and hate towards each other and reconcile. Nuakhai is a festival of splendor and fun which aims at spreading love and affection all around.
