Culture Expert <\/strong><\/p>\n The special feature of the Jitiya festival is the mother’s severe penance for the longevity of the children: Ramdayal Rakesh<\/strong><\/p>\n Kathmandu. The season of festivals like Dashain, Tihar and Chhath is about to start across the country. The Jitiya festival celebrated by the women of Maithili and Tharu communities is also one of the main festivals. <\/p>\n Jitiya is not just a festival, it is a tradition associated with the sacrifice of the mother, love for the children and the desire for long life. In this festival, which is celebrated for three days on the seventh day, Ashtami and Navami of Ashwin Krishna Paksha, mothers observe a strict fast wishing for the happiness, peace and long life of their children. <\/p>\n The tradition of not eating not only food but also water during the fast has made Jitiya different from other festivals. This tradition of fasting for about 24 hours is not only religious belief, but also the spirit of sacrifice made by the mother for the sake of her children. <\/p>\n According to cultural expert Ramdayal Rakesh, the Jitiya festival is a festival of hard penance by mothers for the longevity of their children. “Mothers are ready to endure any kind of hardship for the long life of their children,” says Rakesh, adding that the main purpose of Jitiya is to ensure that the children live long and maintain peace and happiness in the family. “<\/p>\n The most difficult aspect of Jitiya is the fast. Women who fast give up both food and water for a certain period. It is considered as a difficult religious ritual as it is different from the normal fast. But before the fast begins, there is a tradition of special food. It is customary to eat ‘dar’ a day before. Rakesh says that there is a tradition of eating millet bread and fish. The fast starts the next day after eating the rate.<\/p>\n “One should not even drink water during the fast, let alone food,” he says, “From this, it can be understood how difficult the fast of Jitiya is.” Despite the difficulties of fasting, women have been accepting it as their responsibility towards their children and as a religious belief. Rakesh says that the belief that even if their bodies are suffering, the children’s life should be happy, gives them the energy to fast. <\/p>\n In the Jitiya festival, Jimutavahana is specially worshipped. There is a religious tradition of worshiping Jimutavahana for the longevity of the children. Rakesh says that during the puja, it is customary to keep ‘khari’ i. e. the pina left after applying oil on the leaves of the ghiraula. It is used according to religious rituals and Jimutavahana is worshiped and worshipped. Although the method of worship is not complicated, the fast to be followed before and during that time is its main difficult aspect. The main wish associated with worship and fasting is the same \u2013 the longevity of the children, happiness and peace of the family. <\/p>\n The story of the mother’s sacrifice<\/p>\n To understand Jitiya, one has to understand the spirit beyond its religious rituals, says culture expert Rakesh. According to him, the sacrifice made by a mother for her children is the main spirit of Jitiya. <\/p>\n Women fast with the desire that their children should be happy, live a long life, and have a bright future, even if they suffer for themselves. “Even if mothers suffer, they want their children to have happiness and a long life,” says Rakesh. But the role of women in Jitiya is special. Therefore, Jitiya can also be understood as a cultural festival that expresses the emotional connection between mother and child, rather than just as a religious ritual. <\/p>\n Jitiya has its own cultural identity among the festivals celebrated by different communities of Tarai-Madhes. It has special significance in Maithili culture and the tradition of celebrating Jitiya in the Tharu community as well.<\/p>\n Although there are some differences in the rituals and traditions according to the community, fasting for the longevity of the children is a common aspect. According to Rakesh, although many other festivals are celebrated differently in different communities and cultures, Jitiya is a fundamental festival of Maithili culture. “Many festivals are celebrated in all communities and cultures in some form or the other. But Jitiya is a special and original festival of Maithili culture,” he says. <\/p>\n He also says that there is no tradition of celebrating Jitiya traditionally in the hilly areas and the Kathmandu Valley. Therefore, Jitiya has its own importance to understand the cultural life and Maithili identity of the Tarai-Madhes. Another feature of Jitiya is its family form. Unlike some other festivals, a big fair or a public gathering is not its main tradition. The rituals of worship and fasting are performed in the family. <\/p>\n In this, religious beliefs and family relations are given priority over the external display of the festival. Mothers fast, family members participate in the puja and pray for the happiness and peace of the children. Therefore, the story of Jitiya is more related to the feelings inside the house than the hustle and bustle outside. <\/p>\n Along with Jitiya in the Tarai-Madhes, the festival season also expands. After completing the work of farming, the families of the farmers start preparing for the festival, so there is a change in the daily routine of the village at this time. According to Rakesh, after completing the work of farming, the farmers start preparing for the festival. “After completing the work of farming, the fun of festivals and festivals has started,” he says, “The farmers celebrate the festival after completing the work of farming.” “<\/p>\n With the fast of Jitiya, the atmosphere of major festivals like Dashain in the Tarai-Madhes also becomes more dense. After taking a break from the busy fields and celebrating the festival with the family, the process of celebrating the festival begins. <\/p>\n But among these festivals, the story of Jitiya is different \u2014 here the mother’s face is at the center of the celebration.<\/p>\n Mothers observe the waterless fast with worship materials in their hands and wishing for the long life of their children on their lips. The main spirit of Jitiya is to endure one’s own hardships and wish for the life of their children to be happy. This spirit has been continuing Jitiya in the cultural life of Tarai-Madhes for generations. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n Ramdayal Rakesh Culture Expert The special feature of the Jitiya festival is the mother’s severe penance for the longevity of the children: Ramdayal Rakesh Kathmandu. The season of festivals like Dashain, Tihar and Chhath is about to start across the country. The Jitiya festival celebrated by the women of Maithili and Tharu communities is alsoContinue reading “Mother’s rigorous penance for the longevity of children is the specialty of Jitiya festival: Ramdayal Rakesh”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":110420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-samachar-en"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/arthakhabar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/web-post_7009b27d.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arthakhabar.com\/ak_api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arthakhabar.com\/ak_api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arthakhabar.com\/ak_api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arthakhabar.com\/ak_api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110433"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/arthakhabar.com\/ak_api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110434,"href":"https:\/\/arthakhabar.com\/ak_api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110433\/revisions\/110434"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arthakhabar.com\/ak_api\/wp\/v2\/media\/110420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arthakhabar.com\/ak_api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arthakhabar.com\/ak_api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arthakhabar.com\/ak_api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} <\/p>\n
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