Prime Minister Greets People on the Auspicious Occasion of Nuakhai

The Prime Minister has greeted the people on the auspicious occasion of the agricultural festival Nuakhai mainly celebrated in Odisha. 

About Naukhai

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 of the month of Bhadrapada (August-September), the day after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. 

• It is also celebrated in the neighbouring area of Simdega in Jharkhand, where Odia culture is predominant. 
• Nuakhai is also called Nuakhai Parab or Nuakhai Bhetghat. The word 'nua' means 'new' and khai means food, so this is a harvest festival to celebrate the gathering of the rice crop.
• Nuakhai is a time of great joy and celebration for the people of Odisha. It is a time to give thanks for the new harvest and to celebrate their culture and heritage.
• During Nuakhai, people of the region worship their presiding deities as a mark of gratitude for bumper crops, good rain and favorable weather for farming.
• While the offering of the new harvest and other rituals followed by family feast and celebration is observed on the day of Nuakhai, people observe the tradition of Nuakhai Bhet Ghat with their family members and relatives the following day.