Nuakhai unites Shirabahal for 19th year

Balangir: Residents of Shirabahal village under Puintala block in Balangir district came together Tuesday to celebrate Nuakhai, sharing the traditional first meal of the new harvest and keeping alive a 19-year tradition of celebrating the festival beyond caste and religious differences.

The villagers of Mahimunda panchayat have used the festival to promote social harmony and the values of equality and humanism, rising above differences of caste, religion and community. People from different communities in the village sit together and share the first meal of the new harvest on Nuakhai.

The tradition has also inspired people in neighbouring areas, the villagers said. The practice began 19 years ago when residents came together to organise a week-long Bhagabat recitation programme. During the seven-day event, families from across the village shared meals together.

Following consultations with village elders, the residents decided that year to celebrate Nuakhai collectively as well. Since then, people belonging to different castes and religions have gathered and eaten the Nuakhai meal together on the village road. Preparations for this year’s celebration began about a month before the festival. A meeting was held at the Bhagabat temple in the centre of the village, where the villagers fixed the auspicious time for the Nuakhai rituals and decided the contribution to be made by each family.

A second meeting was held seven to eight days before the festival to finalise the arrangements. The village Jhankar offered the newly harvested rice, or Nabanna, to the village deity Kandhenbudhi according to the prescribed rituals Tuesday morning.

The villagers then gathered in the Bhagabat temple premises and sat in rows. After the offering was made to the village deity, the Nabanna was distributed among the residents as prasad. This was followed by a community feast. In the afternoon, villagers took part in Nuakhai Juhar, a traditional exchange of greetings and respects, as well as social gatherings. Amid the spiritual atmosphere, residents reaffirmed their commitment to preserving the tradition and passing on the message of unity and social harmony associated with Nuakhai to future generations