Judshital Festival Celebrated Across the Tarai Region

The Tarai/Madhes region is observing the traditional Judshital festival today, a celebration deeply rooted in the culture of the Mithila community. This two-day festival begins on New Year’s Day, with the first day known as Satuwain, followed by Judshital on the second day.

While some regard Judshital as a continuation of Satuwain, both days carry their own unique customs. On Satuwain, a special flour mixture made from seven types of legumes and grains is prepared and consumed with homemade syrup. Before the family meal, these offerings are first presented to household deities, and then shared with priests, Brahmins, and sages.

A distinctive part of Judshital involves elders sprinkling holy water (jal) on the younger members of the family, blessing them with good health, longevity, and a calm disposition.

This festival is one of the few in the Mithila region where household deities are worshipped inside homes. All the dishes made during the celebration are first offered to these deities. As the festival marks the beginning of summer, there is a strong emphasis on cooling foods — such as curd, gram flour, raw banana, and gourd-based dishes — believed to aid digestion and help the body adjust to the seasonal change.

Maithili folk culture expert and former administrator Maheshwor Raya, 87, explained that these culinary traditions also symbolically mark the transition into the monsoon season. In a symbolic act of welcoming the rains, people splash mud and water on each other, and also water the plants and trees around their homes to combat dryness.

Local resident Kameshwor Jha, 70, of Dhamaura in Balawa-10, said the festival is essentially a communal prayer for a good plantation and abundant harvest in the year ahead. People of all castes and communities in the Mithila region join in the celebration, sharing festive meals and exchanging warm greetings.