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Detailed explanation-1: -Nuakhai is a combination of two words, ‘nua’ meaning new and ‘khai’ means eat, it thus signifies “eating of new rice". The farmers offer the first produce from their lands to Goddess Samaleswari, the famous mother goddess of the Sambalpur district of the state.

Detailed explanation-2: -Deities that are offered Nua In Sundargarh, Puja (worship) was first offered by the royal family to the goddess Sekharbasini in the temple which is opened only for Nuakhai.

Detailed explanation-3: -Nuakhai is an annual harvest festival in Odisha. Nuakhai is celebrated to welcome the approaching new season and welcome the season’s new rice. Nuakhai is celebrated a day after Ganesh Chaturthi, and it is one of the most awaited festivals in Odisha.

Detailed explanation-4: -Nuakhai festival traced its origin to the Vedic period when the sages mentioned the five important annual activities of an agrarian society in the Panchajanya. Customarily, the first crops are harvested and offered to the mother goddess with great reverence before birds or animals eat them.

Detailed explanation-5: -It is the most important festival in the region and is an official holiday in Odisha. Nuakhai is celebrated primarily in Sambalpur, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Bolangir, Sundergarh, Sonepur, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Boudh, and the Athmallik Sub-division of Angul.