Nuakhai is an annual harvest festival celebrated in Odisha. Celebrated a day after Ganesh Chaturthi, this festival is the most auspicious and important social festival in western Odisha.

• In Nuakhai, Nua means new and Khai means food. The festival of Nuakhai is celebrated by the farmers of Odisha after the harvesting of grain.
• On this festival, Odia people, even those living in far off lands return to their native places to be the part of the celebration.
• The festival is celebrated by wearing new clothes and offering prayers to God, following which a feast is thrown and food prepared using newly harvested crops is consumed.
• The Nuakhai festival is the most famous social festival celebrated in the Western Odisha and nearby areas of Simdega in Jharkhand. A similar festival is that of Nabanna which is celebrated in Coastal Odisha.