Observance of #Nuakhai festival traditionally has been decided by priests for separate regions. In Sambalpur, priests sat together at the Brahmapura Jagannath temple and calculated the day and time.
Tithi (date) & Lagna (auspicious moment) were
calculated in the names of Pataneswari Devi in
Balangir-Patnagarh area, Sureswari
Devi in Subarnapur area, Manikeswari Devi in Kalahandi area. In Sundargarh, Puja was first offered to goddess Sekharbasini.
In Sambalpur, at the stipulated Lagna (auspicious moment), the head priest of Samaleswari temple offers the nua-anna or nabanna to goddess Samaleswari, the presiding
deity of Sambalpur
Tweeting a series of factoids about #Nuakhai from Nuakhai: An Epitome of the Great Tradition of India
Dr. Chitrasen Pasayat that appeared in Odisha Review.
As per tradition, the head of the family proceeds to the
field at the auspicious time. There, he invokes the
pancha mahabhutas namely earth, water, light, wind and space and offers them his obeisance before plucking the new grain in grateful respect.
During the stipulated time period, as fixed
earlier by a group of veteran pundits, the
households offer nua to their respective presiding
deities in their homes.