Top Headlines
Home » District Diary » Nuakhai celebration began after the ‘Nabanna’ was offered to Maa Samaleswari

Nuakhai celebration began after the ‘Nabanna’ was offered to Maa Samaleswari

in District Diary September 8, 2024 Comments Off on Nuakhai celebration began after the ‘Nabanna’ was offered to Maa Samaleswari 212 Views

Sambalpur:8/9/24: The Nuakhai fervour, the major agrarian festival, gripped western Odisha today as people from all walks of life came together to celebrate the occasion with great enthusiasm. The celebration began today after the ‘Nabanna’ (newly harvested rice) was offered to Maa Samaleswari, the presiding deity of western Odisha, at the pre-scheduled time between 09.12 AM and 09.27 AM today.

The festival, which marks the beginning of the new rice harvest, was observed with traditional rituals and ceremonies.

According to tradition, the first harvested crop was offered to Goddess Samaleswari in Sambalpur, followed by family members gathering to partake in a ceremonial meal. The eldest member of the family led the ceremony, serving the new rice to all, symbolizing unity and blessings for prosperity.

All the junior members of the family seek blessings of seniors by bowing down and touching their feet. The day witnesses the exchange of wishes among the loved ones.

The festival is celebrated to welcome the new rice of the season and to express gratitude for bumper crops, good rain, and favourable weather for farming activities. People worship their presiding deities during Nuakhai celebrations, seeking blessings for a prosperous harvest.

May be an image of 1 person and temple

Nuakhai holds cultural and spiritual significance, reinforcing values of gratitude, community bonding, and respect for nature’s bounty. People dressed in traditional attire exchanged gifts, and sought blessings from elders, reflecting the cultural richness of western Odisha.

The festival typically falls on the day after Ganesh Chaturthi in the Hindu month of Bhadraba (August-September). This year’s celebration was marked by great fervour, with families and communities coming together to offer the first produce of the harvest to their deities.

Nuakhai, which translates to “new rice” in Odia, is a celebration of the new harvest season. It signifies prosperity, gratitude, and community bonding, and is an integral part of western Odisha’s cultural heritage.

About Editor in chief

Ashok Palit has completed his graduation from Upendranath College Soro, Balasore and post graduation from Utkal University in Odia Language and literture.. He has also carved out a niche for himself as a scribe of eminence after joining the profession in 1988. He is also an independent media production professional. He brings loads of experience to Advanced Media, Ashok Palit as a cineaste has been active in film criticism for over three decades. As a film society activist, he soared to eminence for his profound commitment to the art film appreciation and aesthetics of cinema. His mode of discourse is often erudite but always lucid and comprehensible marked by a perfect acumen so rare in the field. A film aesthete with an immense fond of critical sensibilities, he wrote about growth and development of odia cinema in New Indian Express, The Times of India, The Hindustan Times, The Asian Age and Screen. He has been working as an Editor for Cine Samaya from 2002-2004.. He had made solid contribution on cinema in many odia Dailies and weekly such as Samaj, Prajatantra, Dharatri, Samaya, Satabadi, and weekly Samaya.
©2025 All rights Reserved. Orissa Film and Media Association || Powered By DATAGRAM INDIA
x

Check Also

Heartfelt Homage to Gandhiji on Martyrs’ Day

Bhubaneswar:30/1/25:The death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the ardent apostle of truth and nonviolence is observed every year as Martyrs’ Day. Today on this occasion the state-level event was held on ...