People of the rural areas of Kalahandi district on Thursday celebrated the annual Nuankhai festival when a nationwide bandh called by non-UPA political parties was held.
As the Bharat Bandh coincided with this important festival of western Odisha, the BJP had decided to keep this region out of the purview of the shutdown. Schools, colleges and other educational institutions and Government offices remained closed due to the festival. The people celebrated Nuankhai with great enthusiasm. The markets and other business establishments witnessed heavy rush as people, even from villages, purchased new clothes and other items.
Hundreds of devotees in the villages offered prayers to their presiding deities as part of the Nuankhai celebrations, which are held to mark the arrival of the newly-harvested paddy of the season. The festival is celebrated as mark of devotion to Mother Earth in the month of Bhadrab.
Family members assembled together wearing new clothes. After offering Chuda on the Kurei leaf to the deities and grinding new rice with handmade machine, they all sat together and eat the new rice along with Manda Pitha, Khir and Puri.
However, the people of towns like Bhawanipatna, Lanjigarh, Jaipatna, Thuamul-Rampur and Madanpur-Rampur will celebrate Nuankhai on September 25 on the day of Dasami of Bhadrab after offering prayers at the Devi Maa Manikeswari Temple of Bhawanipatna.
The major agricultural festival of western Odisha, Nuankhai, is celebrated among the tribals as well as non-tribals. Also known as Nabanna, it is celebrated in the State’s western districts of Kalahandi, Balangir, Sambalpur, Nuapada, Subarnapur, Bargarh, Sundargarh. Since anna (rice) is attributed to Goddesses Lakshmi, the goddess is worshipped as well on the Nuankhai day.
Nuankhai is a celebration of the masses. People may stay faraway for there livelihoods, but they come home to celebrate the festival with other members of their families.
No comments:
Post a Comment