By Shiva Shankar Mishra
Bara, Oct. 23: With the arrival of Dashain and Navaratri, children and young girls have started celebrating Jhijhiya in central parts of Terai.
Jhijhiya is a cultural dance performed for by women and adolescent girls by placing earthen pots with lit butter lamps on their heads. They also go around people’s houses singing folk songs like “Khaibe ta kho daini kotra machariya na khaibe kotra chibaibe apan bhatara” and “Chalchal gay dania kadam ta, taura betake khevau brahm tar,” which are insults to witches who cast spells during Dashain, said Ram Prasad Sah, an expert of the Bhojpuri language in Kalaiya.
“This is a game played by women and young girls once a year during Dashain,” said Bhukhali Tharuni of Bhaular, Kolhabi Municipality. “Jhijhiya Dance is performed all throughout Navaratri to stay safe from ghosts, evil spirits and witches,” she said.
The dance is performed by women in the night time, mostly after dinner. The clay pots that women keep on their heads have multiple holes in them which allow the light from the butter lamps to escape. This creates a dazzling and enchanting effect when the women are dancing. The dance is performed for 10 days from the day of Ghatasthapana.
However, this tradition has been declining in recent years. “But we are working hard to preserve it and have been trying to teach the folk songs to the newer generations,” said Koshila Telin of Ganjbhawanipur, Mahagadhimai Municipality – 10.
Chairman of Baragadhi Gaunpalika Bhuneshwor Dhami said that the Jhijhiya culture was mainly associated with the Tharu community and that it made the atmosphere of central Terai festive during the Dashain season.
Nibha Singh, a women’s rights activist, informed that, in the past, the dancers used to get rice for performing Jhijhiya. But now, they get money. “They use this money to buy sweets and vermillion powder on the last day of the festival and distribute them among themselves. The extra sweets and vermillion are then given to the donors,” she said.