Western Odisha Celebrates Nuakhai Festival: President Murmu Extends Greetings

Sambalpur: People of Western Odisha are celebrating Nuakhai on Wednesday with immense joy and festivities. This agrarian festival is celebrated to welcome the new session. On this day Maa Samaleswari, the reigning deity of Sambalpur is worshipped with prayers for bumper crops, good rain, and favourable weather for farming activities. According to the tradition, the first harvested crop is offered to the goddess Samaleswari.

Nuakhai is an agricultural harvest festival mainly observed by the people of Western Odisha. It is celebrated on the fifth day of the lunar fortnight in the month of Bhadrapada (August-September), a day or two after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. This year, it is being celebrated on Wednesday, September 20. Nuakhai is a time of great joy and celebration for the people of Odisha. It is the time to thank Mother Nature for the new harvest and to celebrate the local culture and heritage.

On the auspicious occasion of Nuakhai President Droupadi Murmu greeted the people of Odisha. President Murmu wrote on X, “My best wishes to all the countrymen, especially the people of Odisha, on the occasion of the agrarian festival Nuakhai. The festival is celebrated amid the joy of the harvest. Nuakhai gives us the message of brotherhood and mutual harmony. On this auspicious occasion, I pray to God for the happiness and prosperity of the country and its people.”