Jitiya Festival Begins with Rituals and Cultural Significance
The Jitiya festival, celebrated by Madhesi and Tharu women, has started. Despite the hardships caused by the recent Gen Z movement, families have begun celebrating this three-day festival with devotion.
First Day Rituals
The festival began on Saturday, when women went to rivers, ponds, or streams for ritual bathing and prepared special dishes. It is considered one of the most rigorous Hindu festivals. According to Ambika Yadav of Lahan, on the first day, women bathe in natural water sources and offer pina (khair) and clay on gourd leaves.
Fasting and Observance
On the second day, Ashwin Krishna Paksha Ashtami, women observe a strict fast without food or water. They gather in a common place, listen to the story of Jimutavahana, and sing devotional songs.
The final day, known as Paran (conclusion), involves bathing again in rivers or ponds, performing worship rituals, preparing offerings of curd and sugar, and distributing them as prasad.
It is believed that if a fasting woman burps, spits, or bites her tongue during the fast, the vow is considered unsuccessful. This festival is observed for children’s long life, son attainment, and family happiness and carries religious, cultural, and tantric significance.
Mythological Origins
According to mythology, during the reign of King Shalivahan, a demon abducted the seven sons of a woman. The king rescued them, after which the mother began fasting in gratitude. This is believed to be the origin of the Jitiya fast.
In the Mithila region, every woman who has a son observes this festival. Maithili language professor Umesh Kumar Jha notes that, according to the Bhavishya Purana, King Shalivahan’s son was Jimutavahana, who was blessed by Lord Shiva. Women who faithfully observe this fast are believed to be granted long life for their children.
Childless women also observe this festival to pray for a son. As the women remain without food and water for 36 hours, it is considered one of the toughest fasts.
Cultural Practice and Togetherness
In Madhesi and Tharu communities, women visit their maternal homes a day before the fast. Sisters gather, share joys and sorrows, and celebrate together, making this festival one of bonding and reconciliation.
Pitr Paksha Tradition
Since Jitiya is observed during Pitr Paksha (Ashwin Krishna Paksha), it is customary for Maithil Brahmin women to invite a woman from another gotra (clan) on Saptami and feed her for the salvation of deceased mothers or mothers-in-law. The woman invited for the meal is called Pitarain.
The fast is believed to save children from untimely death and grant longevity. The Bhavishya Purana describes how Goddess Parvati asked Lord Shiva which vow could prevent the untimely death of children. Lord Shiva replied that observing the Jitiya fast with strict discipline prevents such misfortune.
As part of the ritual, a figure of Jimutavahana is made from sacred grass (kusha) and placed in a pitcher. A small pond is symbolically created in the courtyard, and a branch of a pakar tree is planted on the edge. Figures of an eagle and a jackal are placed on the branch and worshipped to ward off planetary obstacles and prevent untimely death.
Symbolic Worship
In Hinduism, various animals and birds are worshipped, such as cows, pigeons, crows, dogs, swans, tigers, and mice. During Jitiya, special worship is offered to the eagle (chheel) and jackal (syalni).
Ritual Offerings
On the first day, women bathe in water bodies, offer arghya to the Sun God, and fill a daali (basket) with fruits, sweets, and coconut, covering it with new cloth before placing it in the sacred space. On Navami, after the rituals, the cloth is removed and prasad is distributed among children.
The Story of Jitiya
According to the Bhavishya Purana, a pakar tree stood on the bank of the Narmada River in Kanakavati city, where a jackal stayed at the base and an eagle on its branch. They were close friends.
One day, women observing Jitiya bathed in the river and gathered under the tree to recite the festival’s story. Listening to the story, the eagle and jackal decided to observe the fast themselves.
That night, the cremation of a merchant’s son took place on the riverbank. After most of the body was burnt and the relatives left, the jackal secretly ate some flesh and hid some for later, while the eagle watched.
In their next birth, the eagle was born as Shilavati and the jackal as Karpuravati in the house of a Brahmin named Bhaskar. Shilavati married into a wealthy household and had seven sons, while Karpuravati married into a royal family but her sons died one after another. Their relationship grew distant.
Eventually, Shilavati revealed the past-life story, explaining that Karpuravati’s sons were dying because she had broken the vow in her previous life. This is why the Jitiya fast is observed with strict discipline to ensure its continuity.
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