📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Mamata Padhi
Religion
Odisha observes Nuakhai harvest festival amid festive fervor
✍️ kanaknews.com
🗓 16 Sep 2026, 03:31 AM
👁 8
The traditional Nuakhai harvest festival was celebrated across Odisha, marking the start of the new agricultural season.
The tribal and agrarian communities of Odisha gathered this week to observe Nuakhai, the state’s annual harvest festival that signals the beginning of the new cropping cycle. Families offered the first produce of the season to the deity, seeking blessings for a bountiful yield.
Across districts, people participated in customary rituals such as "Nua" (the first grain offering) and communal feasts, with local cultural groups performing folk songs and dances that highlight the region’s heritage. Markets saw a surge in traditional sweets and seasonal vegetables as households prepared special meals.
State officials, while encouraging the celebrations, reminded citizens to observe COVID‑19 safety norms, urging the use of masks in crowded gatherings and promoting clean‑up drives after the festivities conclude.
Across districts, people participated in customary rituals such as "Nua" (the first grain offering) and communal feasts, with local cultural groups performing folk songs and dances that highlight the region’s heritage. Markets saw a surge in traditional sweets and seasonal vegetables as households prepared special meals.
State officials, while encouraging the celebrations, reminded citizens to observe COVID‑19 safety norms, urging the use of masks in crowded gatherings and promoting clean‑up drives after the festivities conclude.