September - 2013
Odisha Review
Nuakhai
Chitrasen Pasayat
Nuakhai is an agricultural festival of Orissa. The
festival is observed all over the state. But, it has a
major influence on the life and culture of the tribal
dominated western part of Orissa. A visit to this
region in the Hindu month of Bhadrava (AugustSeptember) makes one aware of the ensuing thrust
of Nuakhai festival.
The literary meaning of Nuakhai festival
is the ceremony of eating new rice. It is an
occasion of rejoicing and merry-making for the
people as agriculture is their main occupation.
Since rice is the staple food of the common man,
the rice crops sustain their livelihood and determine
their economy. In view of this, a non-agriculturist
is that much concerned about this ritual as a
cultivator is. It is pertinent to mention here that
Veda the sacred text of Hindus also identifies
paddy as a synonym of life itself.
Anna Brahmeti Hyajanat
Annadeva Khalwimani Bhutani Jayante
Annena Jatani Jibanti
Annam Prayantyabhisam Bishantiti
(The other name of Anna is Brahma. Brahma
is Iswara. Each life is born out of Anna. It is the
source of energy. After death Jiva or anything
having life, transforms into Anna for others. So,
the significance of Anna is realised in every stage
of life. Thus, it is the source of life, happiness and
a part of soul.)
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Ahamanna Mahamanna Mahamannam
Ahamannado Ahamannado Ahamannado
Ahamanna Manna Madantama Drwi
(I (God) am Anna. I am the only receiver of this
Anna. Whoever takes Anna, I accept this.)
It is said that the economy of a particular
region plays an important role to change the
course of cultural life of people of that region.
The economy of Orissa is agrarian in nature. It is
the fruit of the toil round the year that fulfills the
need of the community at large. Consequently, it
is a matter of great joy for the agriculturist class
admiring the fruits of their efforts. Thus, it is the
economy that determines the cultural life of
people.
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The newly harvested paddy is regarded
as sacred and treated with great respect or
reverence. It is strictly a taboo for the common
man to eat the new rice until ceremonial rituals
are performed for the reigning deity. It is their belief
that the deity is the true master or mistress of their
lands. As a token of reverence and veneration to
the reigning deity, the newly grown rice is first
offered to the deity; then the prasad made out of
it is accepted by the people before they eat the
new rice. Common belief is that the ceremonial
ritual is an acknowledgement of the deity’s
lordship over the land and the crop. In other
words, it may be said that Nuakhai is a ritual after
which the newly harvested rice gets the status of
consumable item for the general people.
Earlier, there was no fixed day for the
celebration of Nuakhai. It was held sometimes
during the bright fortnight of the Hindu month of
Bhadrava. It was the time when the low variety
of paddy mainly for the lower class of the society
started ripening. Every year the Tithi (day) and
the time of the observance was decided
astrologically by Hindu priests. For instance, in
Sambalpur town the local priests sat together at
the Brahmapura Jagannath temple and calculated
the auspicious tithi. Similarly, the tithi was
calculated in the name of Pataneswari in
Patnagarh and Bolangir; Sureswari in Sonepur;
Manikeswari in Bhawanipatna and the like. This
is why a common day of observance was not
found throughout the western part of Orissa.
Significantly, in some cases the tithi was
fixed in the name of the local Zamindar and
Gauntia of the village and locality once the tithi
was fixed in the name of the supremer deity of
that area. How efforts were made to localise the
Nuakhai festival is clearly evident from this
analysis. It also reflects the traditional nature of a
village society in western part of Orissa and also
Odisha Review
the role and dominance of the local head of the
villages over the local subjects. There is no denial
of the fact that such feudal hang-over still persits
in many parts of western Orissa.
Apparently, the origin of the Nuakhai
festival has a tribal base. The incorporation of
Hindu idea of astrology in the reckoning of tithi
may be viewed as a later addition. Most probably,
when the caste-Hindus started migrating to this
tribal dominated areas then the local tribal people
adopted the idea of astrological calculations of
tithi for the Nuakhai festival. Similarly, when the
Hindus adopted Nuakhai from the tribal society,
they had to incorporate some Sanskritised
elements so as to make it easily acceptable to
common chaste-Hindus. Nonetheless, it is said
that there was an attempt made in 1960s to fix up
a common tithi for this festival all over the western
part of Orissa. Allegedly, it was an attempt for
political unification of ex-Gadjat areas by the
former Gadjat rulers. This is why, perhaps it was
not workable. Later on, the attempt was made
again in 1991 and Bhadrava Sukla Paksa
Panchami Tithi was fixed for the Nuakhai festival.
Since then, the festival has been celebrated on
that tithi for which the State Government of
Orissa has declared one official holiday also.
Nuakhai is celebrated, both at
community as well as domestic level. The ritual is
offered first at the temple of the supreme deity of
the areas or to the village deity. Then, they worship
in their respective home and offer rituals to the
domestic deities alongwith Laxmi, the deity of the
Great Hindu tradition.
Nuakhai has a rich and glorious tradition
of its own that has been observed more or less
by all the major tribal groups in central and eastern
India, of course with a little variations. The
examples can be given of Jeth Nawakhai of
Dudh Kharia and Pahari Kharia, Nawakhani
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among the Oraons and Birjia, Jom Nawa among
the Munda and Birjia, Janther and Baihar-Horo
Nawai by the Santhals, Gondli Nawakhani by
Christian tribals of Ranchi district of Jharkhand,
Nawa by the Birjia, Nawa Jom by the Birhor,
Dhan Nawakhani by Korwa and the like.
Besides, Nawakhani festival is celebrated by the
Parajas of Bastar region of Chhattisgarh and
Orissa. The new corn offering and eating rice
ceremony of Santhals in Santhal Pargana of West
Bengal is called Jom Nawa. This festival is
celebrated in Tripura as Mikatal where Mi refers
to paddy and katal stands for new. It is
celebrated in the month of Aswina (SeptemberOctober). In Bengal and in the coastal districts of
Orissa this festival is called Nabanna. However,
the main objective of this festival is to get social
as well as religious sanction for consumption of
newly harvested rice/crops and also to invoke the
deities to bless the land with abundant crops.
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It is commonly said that originally the
tribal people were celebrating the Nuakhai or
Nuakhai festival. Over long period of interaction
between tribal people and non-tribal people in
Orissa, the non-tribal people followed this cultural
trait from the tribal people. Be that as it may,
Nuakhai has become a Gana Parva in the
western part of Orissa. It brings friendship,
equality, help, co-operation, renew the social
bonds and thus strengthen the social solidarity. In
other words, Nuakhai is a cohesive force between
people which bound them to unite together.
Hence, it is a symbol of friendship, love and
affection which provides foundation and fosters
to lead a peaceful social life.
Dr. Chitrasen Pasayat, Asst. Administrator, Shri
Jagannath Temple Office, Puri.