Context:
Recently, the Prime Minister of India greeted the people on the auspicious occasion of Nuakhai Juhar.
Relevance:
GS I: Festivals
Dimensions of the Article:
- Nuakhai Juhar: A Festival Celebrating New Rice Harvest
- Rituals
Nuakhai Juhar: A Festival Celebrating New Rice Harvest
- Nuakhai Juhar is a significant social festival celebrated in Western Odisha and parts of Simdega in Jharkhand.
- The term “Nuakhai” consists of “nua,” meaning new, and “khai,” meaning food.
- Purpose: This agricultural festival is observed to welcome the arrival of the new rice crop of the season.
- Nuakhai falls on the fifth day of the lunar fortnight in the month of Bhadrapada or Bhadra (typically August-September). It follows the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
Rituals:
- Nuakhai encompasses nine colors, leading to the observance of nine sets of rituals leading up to the main day of celebration.
- People offer the freshly harvested crop, known as “Nabanha,” to their respective deities.
- Following the offering of Nabanha, individuals enjoy various delicacies prepared from the newly harvested crop.
- A key ritual of Nuakhai is the “Nuakhai Juhar,” which holds special significance during the festival.
