Nuakhai Festival 2025: Odisha’s Harvest Celebration
The Nuakhai Festival 2025, one of the most cherished cultural and agricultural celebrations of Western Odisha, will be observed on 28 August 2025 (Thursday). Celebrated on the panchami tithi of Bhadraba month, a day after Ganesh Chaturthi, the festival symbolizes gratitude for the new rice harvest and the strengthening of family and community bonds. The word “Nuakhai” comes from two Odia words — “nua” (new) and “khai” (food), meaning eating the newly harvested rice. Traditionally linked to agriculture, the festival, Marks the first consumption of new rice after offering it to the deity.
Brings a ray of hope for farmers, symbolizing prosperity and abundance. Serves as a cultural identity for the Sambalpuri region of Odisha, as well as adjoining areas of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
