- Bhadrapada Shukla Panchami
- August or September
- Western Odisha and Chhattisgarh
Where it began
Nua means new and khai means eat, so Nuakhai means eating the new rice. It is a thanksgiving for the first paddy of the season.
In Sambalpur the new rice, called nabanna, is first offered to the goddess Samaleswari at a set auspicious time. In other places it is offered to the family or village deity.
One story tells that the festival was made a grand public celebration long ago by an early ruler of the region. Its roots lie in the farming life of the people, who have always thanked the earth for its harvest.
How it grew over time
Old times
Farming families thank the earth and their deities for the first rice.
Medieval period
Rulers of western Odisha are said to make it a festival of the whole region.
20th century
Nuakhai Bhetghat, a meeting of friends and families, becomes popular in towns.
Today
It is a state holiday in Odisha and is kept by Odias everywhere.
How it is celebrated in different places
Sambalpur
The new rice is first offered to Maa Samaleswari before families eat.
Western Odisha
Families gather, eat together and greet each other with Nuakhai Juhar.
Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand
Nearby communities keep similar new rice festivals.
Odias in other cities
Groups in Delhi, Mumbai and abroad hold Nuakhai Bhetghat with dance and food.
Nuakhai today
Homes are cleaned, new clothes are worn and families come home from far away. After the offering, everyone eats the new rice dish together, the young touch the feet of elders, and evenings fill with Sambalpuri songs and Dalkhai dance.
