Sambalpur: Markets in the Sambalpur district witnessed a huge crowd as people stepped out to shop for Odisha’s major agrarian festival Nuakhai beginning Thursday. This year, the festival is all set to be celebrated with pomp and grandeur after a gap of two years.
Nabanna (new rice) offered to Maa Samaleswari, the presiding deity of Sambalpur, at the stipulated lagna as per rituals.
The new yield paddy, which will be offered to Goddess Samaleswari on Nuakhai 2022, arrived on August 27.
The new crop has been brought by Subash Behera from Balbaspur area and given to the head priest of the Maa Samaleswari temple in Sambalpur.
Nuakhai is the major festival of western Odisha. On the 5th day in the month of Bhadraba; more clearly on the next day of Ganesh Chaturthi, Nuakhai is observed across all towns and cities of western Odisha when the new yield paddy is offered to the respective Goddess of their area.
The family members of the priest cleaned the holy paddy on Ganesh puja day. Later, they will carefully take out the paddy seeds out of the twig and fry it to get rice granules. This will be mixed with jaggery and ghee to prepare the ‘Nua’ offering (new) or ‘Nabanna’ (new rice).
‘Nabanna’ will be offered to Goddess Samaleswari between 10:56AM and 11:10AM on September 1.
