Nuakhai: This is a major festival celebrating the new rice harvest of the season, held in the sukla paksha (bright half, or waxing moon) of the month of Bhadra, on an auspicious day calculated from time to time. It is particularly popular in Sambalpur, Bolangir, Sundargarh, Kalahandi and Phulbani, but it is observed all over India. Different ethnic groups call it with various names, for example the Dud Khadias and Pahadi Khadias call it Jeth Nouakhia, the Orams call it Nouakhani, the Mundas call Jam-noua, the Santhals call it Janthar or Baihar Horo Nauabai. The Parajas of Bastar and Orissa called as Noua-aani, while the same tribes living in Bihar call it Noua-jam. The Birjias living in Orissa call it Nauaba and Jamnoua, while the same tribes living in the Nagpur area (the Ashur clan) call it Nouaa. Tribal groups in East Bengal and Tripura also celebrate this festival, that is called Navanna and Mikatal respectively. The houses are cleaned thoroughly, plastered anew (with fresh clay and cowdung) and decorated, and everybody wears new clothes. Friends, relatives, neighbors celebrate together, returning to their village even from long distances, meeting one another, singing and dancing, and partaking of the prasadam khiri (sweet rice pudding) cooked with the newly harvested rice and offered to Lakshmidevi, distributed by the eldest member of the family. Other special foods prepared for the festival are the popular pancakes (manda pitha), puri and other sweets and delicacies. In the evening they eat meat. The Kolha men in Keonjhar cook the new rice in a new pot and offer it (together with fowl curry and newly brewed rice beer) to Surya (Dharam Banga) on one leaf and to their ancestors on another leaf. During the festival, Lakshmidevi is worshiped as Annapurna, who is both the bestower of a bountiful harvest, and a personification of food grains Herself. The new rice is also separately offered to the family Deities and to the Grama Devi, before it is used for daily cooking.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 08:41:24 +0000
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