Nuakhai Festival
28 Aug, 2025
Thursday
Nuakhai Festival on 28-08-2025
Tithi Begin Time:
Shukla Paksha Panchami: Aug 27 03:44 PM – Aug 28 05:57 PM
Tithi End Time:
Shukla Paksha Shasthi: Aug 28 05:57 PM – Aug 29 08:22 PM
Nakshatra, Muhurat (Start Time):
Chitra Nakshatra: Aug 27 06:04 AM – Aug 28 08:43 AM
Nakshatra, Muhurat (End Time):
Swati Nakshatra: Aug 28 08:43 AM – Aug 29 11:38 AM
About Nuakhai Festival 2025
Significance of Nuakhai
Nuakhai is the major folk festival of Odisha. This festival is also celebrated in Chhattisgarh bordering western Odisha. Some districts of Chhattisgarh are also included, where millions of people associated with Utkal culture like the neighbouring state celebrate it enthusiastically with traditional customs.
Nuakhai Bhadrapada is celebrated on the fifth day of Shukla Panchami. 'Nuakhai' literally means 'new food' the term “nua” means new and khai means food. Whatever recipes are made on the day prepared with new grains. It is a traditional festival celebrated mainly by the farmers and agricultural labourers of Odisha to welcome the new harvest in the fields, but is celebrated with enthusiasm by all sections of the society. People visit each other's houses for 'Nuakhai Juhar' and 'Bhentghat'.
During the rainy season, the new crop of paddy, especially the early maturing paddy, begins to grow in the fields in the Shukla Paksha of the month of Bhadon. Nuakhai is then held to welcome the new harvest. It is a festival based on agricultural culture and sage culture. On this day, all the gods and goddesses including Annapurna, the goddess of crops, are worshipped.
Where Nuakhai Festival Mostly Celebrated?
In Odisha, Samleshwari Devi in Sambalpur, Pateshwari Devi in Balangir-Patnagarh area, Sureshwari Devi in Suvarnapur (Sonpur) and Manikeshwari Goddess in Kalahandi are specially worshipped. Goddess Shikharvasini is worshiped by the royal family in Sundargarh on the day of Nuakhai. This temple of the royal family opens only on Nuakhai day.
The history of Nuakhai in Odisha is very old and goes back to the Vedic period. But some historians, referring to folklore, credit Ramai deva, the first king of the Chauhan dynasty in the twelfth century, for starting the Nuakhai tradition in western Odisha. He was the king of the then Patna now it is Patnagarh. Patnagarh is currently in Balangir district. Some experts say that earlier Balangir was called Patnagarh as per the government official.
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