New Delhi, August 23: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday greeted people of the nation on the occasion of Nuakhai. Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister lauded the efforts of the farmers of India and said that it is due to their efforts that the country is fed. "The special occasion of Nuakhai is about celebrating the hardwork of our farmers. It is due to their efforts that our nation is fed. May this auspicious day bring prosperity and good health for everyone. Nuakhai Juhar!", the Prime Minister tweeted.

In Nuakhai, the word 'nua' means new and 'khai' means food, so the name means the farmers are in possession of the newly harvested rice. Nuakhai, which is also known Navakhai, is an agricultural festival mainly observed by people of Western Odisha and Southern Chhattisgarh in India. An ancient festival for the worship of foodgrain, Nuakhai celebrates the farmers' hard labour and their joy of new harvest season. Ganesh Chaturthi 2020 Wishes: PM Narendra Modi Greets Nation on Ganpati Festival.

Here's the tweet by PM Narendra Modi:

The festival is observed to welcome the new rice of the season. According to the calendar it is observed on panchami tithi (the fifth day) of the lunar fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada which corresponds to August–September, the day after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

Nuakhai is the most important social festival of Western Odisha and adjoining areas of Simdega in Jharkhand, where Odia culture is much predominant. Its coastal counterpart is Nabanna, observed in Coastal Odisha.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 23, 2020 10:31 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).