Nuakhai

 

Nuakhai: The Festival of Reconnecting Family

Webster’s Dictionary defines the term Festival as a day or time of religious or other celebrations marked by feasting, ceremonies or the observance. Festival is celebrated by one religious or sub group, group, a tribe or a community with exceptions to few individuals. Foods, sweets, fruits, nuts etc. prepared during the festivals are specific.

Anna, the central point of life circle of the Universe. Anna refers to rice or main food of that community. In Odia it is said that “Peta pain sabu nata”. Especially, in India’s maximum festivals are based on agriculture, food, soil etc. These festivals are celebrated for showing gratitude towards God and express their thankfulness.

 Therefore, the following verse is told by Lord Krishna to Arjuna in Bhagavat Gita:

“Annat bhavanti bhutani parjyanat anna sambhava

 Yajnat bhavanti prajanya jagnya karma sambhuvah

Karma brahmobhavam vidhi brahmakshara samudhavam

 Tasmat sarvagatam brahma nityam jagnye pratisthitam.”

 

Nature poet Gangadhar Meher also depicted the importance of anna in the following verse:

“Anna eka atai visva muladhara

 Ekavakye samasthe gayaho annara jayakaraho”

 

Sambalpuri culture is dominant in the western part of Odisha. Being highly populated with tribes and have the general occupation of agriculture, one major festival of Sambalpuri culture is Nuakhai. Nuakhai is celebrated for welcoming of first harvesting of the season to home. What query arises in your mind, listening the word Nuakhai? Nuakhai consists of two words Nua and Khai. 'Nua' means New and 'Khai' means eating. Nuakhai also known as ‘Nabanna’.  

Nuakhai is an agricultural festival mainly observed by people of Western Odisha in India. Nuakhai was observed to welcome the newly harvested rice of the season, so this festival includes worshiping of the new harvest crops and celebrate it with eating together.  According to the Hindu calendar, it is observed on Panchami Tithi (the fifth day) of the Suklapaksha (lunar fortnight) of the month of Bhadraba (August-September), the day after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. This is the most important social festival of Western Odisha. Nuakhai is celebrated both at the community and domestic level. It is also called as Gana Parba.

                

Indian society always has a history of maintaining and nurturing the joint family system. It had been always a sustaining reason for Indian culture. But with the onset of modernization and globalization, a chain of transformation has taken place in all social institutions of almost all the societies. From individual to family and various institutions of society are getting affected by this global changing phenomena and Indian families are no exception to that. The joint family system is slowly disintegrating into nuclear and extended family systems. But, one factor that has to be accepted is the tendency of Indian families to maintain 'togetherness' even in nuclear structure and the emotional bond between kith and kin. To keep this bonding tight, the Indian culture passes many traditions from generation to generations. One such kind of tradition is celebrating festivals together. Festivals serve the same value of the joint family system of bringing the generations together under one roof. These festivals propagate the value of 'we-feeling among the family members'. The Indian people still keep intact the family attachment and live their traditional morality. Thus, Nuakhai is called as “A Festival to Strengthen Family Bonds”.

Beyond the importance to the agriculture and grain, Nuakhai brings a sense of belongingness to the family members, which act as a driving force for the family members to join together. It is an annual opportunity for them to get together with the extended family. For migrants visiting their home place, the festival arena might represent positive values by having a “good time” and strengthening the connection to their place of origin. Old rivalries and bitterness are consigned to the dustbin. This is the instance of a union of family members and annual get-together. These festivals were much important for the younger generations; because of the coming together during festivals, they can ably understand the kinship relationships among them. They could identify and attach themselves with the larger family, which creates a feeling of social protections among them.

 

 Historical Background

According to oral traditions in Odisha's agrarian societies; 12th century AD when the first Chauhan Raja Ramai Deo used to rule this region. He would have established the princely state of Patnagarh, an integral part of the Western Orissa's Balangir district. The Chauhan rulers borrowed and adopted the tribal philosophy of Nuakhai and fused it with dhan (paddy). They developed this Nuakhai concept, popularized and spread it and adopted nua-dhan in different parts of their kingdom. They Sanskritised it and converted it into a national festival of Western Odisha. As a result of this, Nuakhai became the festival of all and stood for a larger society, where both the tribal people and caste Hindus reside together.

 Nuakhai became the source of unity between them. It brought people, irrespective of their ethnic background, under the control and authority of the rulers so that they could consolidate and strengthen their Rajya in Western Odisha. The newly harvested rice is believed to be very sacred. Even in the age of science and technology, Nuakhai has not lost its significance with the rituals still being adhered to.

Preparation:

Nine colours of Nuakhai-

People in the Western Odisha region initiate preparations for the event 15 days in advance. Nuakhai is understood to have nine colours and as a consequence, nine sets of rituals are followed as a prelude to the actual day of celebration. These nine colours include:

1.   Beheren: announcement of a meeting to set the date

2.   Lagan dekha: setting the auspicious time for partaking of new rice

3.   Daka haka: invitation

4.   Sapha sutura and lipa puchha: cleanliness of home and surroundings

5.   Ghina bika: purchasing

6.   Nua dhan khuja: looking for the new crop

7.   Bali paka: final resolve for Nuakhai by taking the Prasad (the offering) to the deity

8.   Nuakhai: eating the new crop as Prasad after offering it to the deity

9.   Juhar bhet: respect to elders & gift transfers called as Nuakhai Juhar

         

The household, perfectly cleaned and washed in all its details, is ready to invite the deity to partake (eat or drink) of the first pristine produce of the new season. Considered as an expression of submission, the farmers attribute the good yield to the blessings of the deities. For this reason, the first fruit of the season is also first offered to him/her as a token of reverence and veneration. This history of Nuakhai, which brought the aboriginal and the Hindu caste together now extended to bringing the joint families of western Odisha.

 The surroundings of the houses are made neat and clean, members of the family wear new clothes. Preparations for this occasion start before fifteen days. The rituals are first observed at the temple of the reigning deity of the area or to the village deity. Afterward, the people worship in their respective homes and offer rituals to their family deity and to Lakshmi (the deity of wealth). People put on new clothes for the occasion. Just before one day of the Nabanna, the head of the family goes to the paddy field to collect the new crop in the paddy field. Before collecting the new crop, the head of the family conducts special rituals and puja facing towards east. Then he collects the crops and came to the house. At house also, the senior most lady of the family receives the new crops in the same manner of rituals. In the night the lady members prepare different ingredients for the next day’s food. For special pitha (cooked cakes) and Manda they grind the rice with the help of pestles. During Nuakhai vegetarian dishes are prepared out of newly harvested grains of rice in every home, and after offering them to the deities these are served to the members of the family, men, women, and children sitting together to receive the Prasad in great solemnity and jubilation. They don’t take prasad on dishes or utensils; on that auspicious day they eat on few selected special leaves.

The family deities at home are offered with nua and other sweets like Manda Pitha and Khiri. The youngsters paid respect to their elders and the elders bless to the young. This event is popularly known as Nuakhai Juhar or Bhetghat. Then the group eating starts with different verities of food items like rice, dal, sabji, and hendua karadi khata, saga bhaja, khiri, pitha, manda etc. In the afternoon the members of different communities go to the nearby temples to pay darshan to the local deities on this special occasion. Different type of games and sports, kusti etc. are organized in the locality which becomes quite interesting. In the evening Nuakhai Bhetghat meetings, folk cultural events like dalkhai, rasarkeli, mailajada, ghumra, bazasal etc. are organized which becomes quite enjoyable.

On this occasion cows and bullocks are also bathed and they are worshipped with special puja and rakhees are put on their horns and bodies. They are offered with green grass plentily. Because the help of those domestic animals is quite noteworthy for agricultural operation. This is an exhibition of gratitude and respect to domestic animals. In the morning the head of the family goes to the paddy field and offer puja rituals to the earth mother and deities of the paddy field.

Nuakhai: throughout India

Nuakhai is celebrated with a pomp, pleasure and geity in districts of Odisha like Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Balangir, Bargada, Sundargada, Jharsuguda, Sonepur, Boudh, Nuapada, Koraput and Nabarangpur. People goes to temple local goddess-Manikeswari temple at Bhawanipatna, in case of Bolangir and Patnagarh in the temple of Patnesvari and at Sundargarh and Sonepur in the temple of Sekharavasini and Suresvari respectively.

People of Bhawanipatna celebrate Nuakhai on Bhadraba Sukla Dashami (10^th day) of lunar fortnight because as per the ritual’s goddess Maa Manikeswari take nua anna on this day. In the very next day people celebrate Nuakhai Basi. As all people gathered, after celebrating Nuakhai they also planned for non-vegetarian feast. Generally, Hindus don’t take Non-vegetarian dishes specially Brahmins. But on this day, all are allowed to eat non-vegetarian dishes.

 

The following table represents Indian tribes celebrating Nuakhai in different names-

                       

Tribes	Different names of Nuakhai
Kharia	Jeth Nawakhai
Oraon and Birjia	Nawakhai
Munda	Jom Nawa
Santal	Nawai
Korwa	Dhan Nawakhani
Tripura people	Mikatal

Now a days Nuakhai Bhetghat are being observed and organized at different metropolis like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Chennai, Surat, Kolkata etc. by the people of non-resident west Odishans who are unable to attend the Nuakhai festival in their respective villages. Even in abroad like United States, United Kingdom, Japan, people from Odisha celebrate Nuakhai Bhetghat. This occasion binds them together with social harmony, unity and friendship. The west Odishan culture and music like traditional Sambalpuri folk music, dance and food are exhibited on this occasion.

Finally, it is last but not the least, it teaches unity in diversity and the whole world a family i.e., Vasudhaiva Kutumvakam. In true sense of the term it is a festival of the masses or gana parva. Therefore, this Nabanna or Nuakhai festivals give much importance to anna with a special celebration. Nuakhai is not merely a tradition or festival but it mainly concentrates on the worship of food grain or rice and domestic animals which is the manifestation of life itself.

 

 

Facts:

#During 1991 the then Chief Minister of Odisha late Biju Patnaik passed a historic order to celebrate this occasion on the day of Bhadrava Suklapaksha Panchami, the day following Ganesh Puja has been declared as a State Holiday.

 

🙏🙏🙏  Nuakhai Juhar  🙏🙏🙏