Festive Spirit of Jitiya Festival Lights Up Madhesh

The Jitiya Festival, celebrated by women of the Madhesi and Tharu communities, has begun across Nepal. This year, amidst the ongoing Gen-Z movement and nationwide struggles, people have come together to observe the festival, temporarily putting aside the country’s hardships. The three-day festival started on Saturday, September 14, 2025 (28 Bhadra 2082).

First Day Rituals

On the first day, women visit rivers, ponds, or streams for ritual bathing and prepare special traditional dishes. Ambika Yadav from Lahan described the festival as extremely austere, mentioning that after bathing in water bodies, devotees apply pina (Khair) leaves and soil on the head.

Second Day Observances

On the second day, Aswin Krishna Paksha Ashtami, fasting women gather in one place to listen to the Jituwahan (Jitiya) story, sing devotional songs, and perform collective prayers.

Final Day and Conclusion

The final day, known as Paran, involves ritual bathing once again, offering yogurt and sugar-based prasad, and consuming it at home. Women observing the fast must avoid belching, spitting, or licking their tongues; otherwise, the fast is considered unsuccessful. The festival is dedicated to ensuring long life of children, family well-being, and prosperity, holding significant religious, cultural, and tantric value.

Mythological Origins of Jitiya Festival

According to legends, during the reign of King Shalivahan, a woman’s seven sons were abducted by a demon. The king rescued all seven sons, and since then, women began fasting in his honor. In Mithila, every woman hoping for a son traditionally observes this festival.

Professor Umesh Kumar Jha explains that, as per Bhavishya Purana, Shalivahan’s son, Jituwahan, was blessed by Lord Shiva. Women observing the fast with dedication are believed to receive divine blessings for the long life and protection of their children. In Nepal’s Mithila region and northern and eastern India, Jitiya is celebrated to ensure children’s health and longevity. Women without children also perform rituals to pray for progeny. Since the fast lasts 36 hours without food and water, it is considered extremely rigorous.

Community and Cultural Significance

The day before the fast, women visit their parental homes, gathering with sisters and friends to share joys and sorrows, strengthening bonds of companionship and solidarity. In Mithila, Brahmin women invite other Brahmin women from different clans for a ritual meal on Saptami tithi, ensuring ancestral blessings.

The festival includes creating symbolic figures such as Kush statues of Jituwahan and small ponds in courtyards decorated with Pakar trees, foxes, and kites, as per the Purana, to ward off untimely death and protect children.

Rituals and Offerings

On the first day, women offer arghya (water offering) to the Sun God after bathing. Back home, they fill baskets with fruits, sweets, and coconuts, covering them with new cloth for offerings. The festival concludes on Navami tithi, when children remove the cloth, and the offerings are consumed as prasad.

Jitiya Festival Story

According to Bhavishya Purana, in the city of Kanakawati, by the Narmada River, a Pakar tree was home to a fox (Syalni) and a kite (Chil). They were close friends. On the first day of the festival, fasting women sat under this tree, reciting Jitiya stories. Observing the rituals, Syalni and Chil decided to fast in honor of Jitiya.

Later, a local tragedy occurred: the cremation of a merchant’s son, which led to Syalni consuming part of the burnt offerings without Chil knowing. Both eventually died and were reborn as girls in Brahmin households: Sheelawati and Karpurawati. Sheelawati married into a wealthy family, Karpurawati into royalty. Sheelawati had seven sons, while Karpurawati’s children gradually passed away, straining their relationship. Sheelawati later revealed the events of the previous life and advised Karpurawati on ritual fasts, establishing the tradition of meticulous observance of Jitiya.