TV
Western Odisha is all set to immerse itself in festive fervour on Thursday as people across towns and villages gear up to celebrate Nuakhai, the region’s most cherished agrarian festival.
The occasion, rooted in tradition and gratitude to Mother Earth, brings together families, communities, and devotees under one emotional bond.
In Sambalpur, the centre of the celebrations, the sacred ritual of offering Nabanna, the season’s first harvest, will be performed at the shrine of Goddess Samaleswari between 10:33 am and 10:55 am. Only after the deity accepts the offering will devotees and families partake of the new grain.
Subsequently, Nabanna will be offered to the temple’s other deities. Owing to the rituals, the temple will remain closed to the general public in the morning, reopening for darshan after 12:30 pm.
The festival also marks a homecoming. Many who live and work far away have already reached their native villages to sit down with their families and share the first harvest meal.
In Bolangir, the celebrations will take a unique turn with the Pahura Yatra, a traditional procession that adds colour, music, and local pride to the occasion.
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Across western Odisha, kitchens will fill with the aroma of nua (new rice) dishes, pulses, vegetables, and sweets, while courtyards will echo with greetings of ‘Nuakhai Juhar’. Beyond rituals and feasts, the festival embodies togetherness, reverence for nature, and hopes for prosperity.
With its blend of devotion, reunion, and cultural vibrancy, Nuakhai is all set to reaffirm its identity as not just the festival of the soil, but also of the soul for western Odisha.
