The much-awaited major agrarian festival Nuakhai is being celebrated in every nook and corner of Western Odisha with great joy and fervour on Sunday.
As part of the celebrations, people offered the newly harvested Nabanna (new rice) crop to their respective presiding deities as per the fixed auspicious time in the morning.
The ‘Nabanna’ was offered to Goddess Samaleswari, the presiding deity of Sambalpur, between 9.12 AM and 9.27 AM today.
‘Nabanna’ was also offered to Goddess Pateneswari in Bolangiri.
After providing the ‘Nabanna’, people enjoyed different delicacies prepared from the newly harvested crop with their family members.
The ‘Nuakhai Juhar’ is a significant ritual of this festival. It is an exchange of greetings with friends, relatives, and well-wishers, and family members.
As per old tradition, people greet elders with ‘Nuakhai Juhar’ and they give blessings for long life, happiness and prosperity.