Jitiya Festival : The Strict Festival to Worship the Power of Mother
Jitiya Festival
“Tohar mai jitiya kaine chau ta aa bhid ‘meaning if your mother is fasting jitiya, then come to the crowd. This saying is still used by the youths of all the three districts within the borders of Nepal out of the total 13 districts of the then Madhya Pradesh. If anyone escapes from a major accident and returns, it is said directly in the Terai, “This is the fruit of your mother’s Jitiya festival.”
This powerful and harsh Jitia festival is also celebrated in the Terai region of Nepal and the surrounding Indian region for three days from today. As much as a mother endures labor pains for her child, from the seventh to the ninth day of Ashwin Krishna’s side, another mother fasts for the longevity and prosperity of her child. It is a form of worship where the deceased mother power is worshiped and the longevity of one’s children is wished.
According to Manusmriti, the Himalayas in the north, Vindhyachal in the south, Vinshan in the west (Saraswati’s extinct place in the desert of Rajasthan) and Ganga (confluence of Yamuna) in the east are referred to as Madhya Pradesh. The term Madhes is believed to have originated from the same Madhya Pradesh. There were a total of 13 districts in Madhya Pradesh. The lands irrigated by 3 out of the districts of the same Madhya Pradesh now belong to the territory of Nepal.
For all the Tarai Nepalis from east to west, this festival is celebrated with its own significance. Some men and women observe this strict fast, while others observe it only for women. The Tharus consider it their special festival. Whether it is Mithila or Bhojpura, people everywhere celebrate it with a sense of belonging. Cultural expert of Mithila region. Ramdayal Rakesh says, “It is a sacred festival that unites the entire Tarai in a single thread rather than in a single sentence.”
Socio-cultural significance of Jitiya Festival
Examining its social significance, it is a different kind of festival to worship the mother power. There are many festivals in Hinduism in which male power is worshiped. But this festival, which remembers its own late female ancestors, is a different kind of festival in the whole country, says Gopal Thakur, an expert on Jitia festival. “Every festival has its social and cultural significance,” he said. But this festival is different from others. We do shraddha for the patriarchy, the patriarchy is more dominant in other worships as well. But this is such a festival. Where mother power is worshiped. ‘Thakur is of the opinion that this strict vow performed by women for the remembrance of mother power cannot be called a festival of Mithila and Bhojpura region only. ‘It is the main festival of all the three districts bordering Nepal in Madhya Pradesh. Not just Mithila and Bhojpura. ‘
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A Strict Patriarchal Festival
This festival is celebrated every year in the month of Asoj on the patriarchal side (Krishna side). On the day of Asoj Krishna Saptami, various dishes of kodo bread or fish are eaten as tar. This is the last meal before the strict fast.
Culturologist According to Ganga Prasad Akela, Jitia festival is called Jimut Vahan festival in the classical language and Jitia in the local language. It has its own three-day constitution. On the first day, that is, on the seventh day, after taking a bath in the morning, all the body cleansing deeds including cutting the nails should be done. After being consecrated, eagles, vultures, and foxes are worshiped in both male and female forms. During that pooja, curd, chura, sakhkar etc. are offered on the leaves of Ghiraunla. Basil leaves are also made mandatory in it. There is a rule to eat fish on the day before fasting. If those who do not eat fish eat millet.
On the day of fasting, one has to eat sattvic food before 4 o’clock in the morning. There is a local saying in this regard, ‘Jitiya pagani badhabhari ghiya putake thok sutalak apne lelak bhairthari’, that is, there is a scriptural command that the fasting person should feed the children on the day of fasting and eat only after the children have fallen asleep. Experts say that the seventh day was called ‘Laha Khayeke’.
On the second day of Jitiya, Ashtami is called ‘Upas’ and on the ninth day is called ‘Paran’. Paran is the first offering to be eaten after fasting. According to Thakur, the deceased mothers and grandmothers even ate their favorite vegetarian or non-vegetarian food.
One can also see the tradition of the dish called Sargai associated with this festival. There is a tradition of feeding sargai. Rakesh explains. For this, chura made from fresh paddy is made by putting it in curd. Rakesh also said that it is customary to take Jitiya to the house of a relative who does not worship.
A Strict Fast
When the atmosphere of sixteen shraddhas begins in the hills, then the Terai is submerged in the palace of Jitiya. Of course, this festival is celebrated for three days. But the Tarai people do not want to shrink its atmosphere in just 3 days.
Fasting is hard in itself. But nowadays, even in fasting, there is some relaxation. But Jitia festival is still known as one of the strictest festivals in the Terai region.
Just as the people of the hilly region consider the waterless fast in Teej to be the most difficult, the rule of Jitiya is even more difficult.
Ananda Gupta, another expert on Jitia festival, says that there are two sides to the Jitiya festival. By eating tar, the tradition is eaten in the local language as ‘Datkhat’. Khar Jitiya is another hard Jitiya. In which ‘Datkhat’ is not eaten.
