SAMBALPUR: Western Odisha’s agrarian festival Nuakhai was observed with traditional fervour and gaiety on Thursday, with families offering Nabanna (newly harvested rice) to their presiding deities and celebrating the occasion with the near and dear ones.
In Sambalpur, the rituals began during the stipulated lagna fixed between 10.33 am and 10.55 am, when the season’s first grains were offered to Maa Samaleswari, the region’s presiding deity.
The goddess was adorned with new attire and ornaments, and Nabanna was subsequently offered to all deities within the temple premises.
Similar rituals were performed at the shrines of Pataneswari in Balangir and Patnagarh, Sureswari in Subarnapur, Manikeswari in Kalahandi, and Sekharabasini in Sundargarh, marking the festive spirit across western Odisha.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan joined the celebrations in Sambalpur. He first visited Sindurpank in Maneswar block, where he participated in Nabanna feast with the family of a local resident, Shyamsundar Pati. Later, he offered prayers at the Maa Samaleswari temple and joined ministers, MLAs, journalists, and prominent personalities in partaking of the Nabanna prasad.
“Nuakhai is not just a festival but an emotion. It symbolises gratitude to our farmers and farming prosperity. The essence of Nuakhai lies in togetherness, sharing the Nabanna with family, neighbours, and society. It brings hope and new possibilities for all,” he said.
In the evening, the union minister attended Nuakhai Bhet-Ghat programmes organised by Odisha Sanskrutik Samaj, Chitrotpala Yuvak Sangh at Nandapada, and Samaleswari Yuvak Sangh at the temple premises.
Homes in Sambalpur were decorated with traditional jhotis in the morning, while women prepared delicacies from the new harvest. As families stayed indoors for rituals, streets wore a deserted look through the day, but the city came alive in the evening with cultural programmes and Nuakhai Bhet-Ghat events, where people exchanged greetings with the customary “Nuakhai Juhar”.