Sambalpur, Sept 6: Today the residents of Western Odisha are mesmerized in the beautiful festival of Nuakhai which is the agrarian festival of the region. They are celebrating this festival with great pomp and gaiety.
It’s stated following traditional norms, this festival starts with the ‘Nabanna’ or new rice made out of newly harvested paddy crop and it’s offered to Maa Samaleswari Devi in Sambalpur as per the ‘lagna’ as an auspicious moment. After this, the people offer that ‘Nabanna’ to their respective deities. Nuakhai’ is celebrated by offering new paddy crop to the presiding deity to seek blessings for a bumper harvest. People offer this ‘Nabanna’ to the deity amidst ‘Hulahuli’, beating drums, cymbals and sounds of conch shells.
Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi tweeted greets to the people of the state today saying, “Nuakhai Juhar. Greetings to the people of Odisha on this special festival. May this festival bring more prosperity in the lives of farmers.”
Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik deleivered greeting to the people of Odisha on this religious festival.
Union minister Jual Oram, BJD’s Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda, PCC President Prasad Harichandan, state BJP President Basant Panda also greeted the people of the State on the occasion of Nuakhai.