By Mala Karna/ Dhirendra Prasad Shah, Saptari, Apr. 15:People in the Terai celebrated the festivals of Judshital and Siruwa on Wednesday and Thursday respectively by following precautions amidst the fear of COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic-led lockdown prevented the people from celebrating the festivals with fanfare, they marked the festivals only within their family. Since there is no lockdown this year, people have been able to celebrate the festival freely than the year before. However, the people abided by the health safety measures. 

The people from the Tharu community celebrated the Judshital and Siruwa festivals on the first two days of the Nepali New Year.

On these festivals, young ones receive blessings from the elders of their family.

The elders bless the young ones, putting water on their head and the young ones take the blessing by offering water on the elders’ feet.

The communities also clean the water sources in their area during the festival.

Similarly, the people splash  muddy waters collected from the water sources while cleaning it each other.

The people have a belief that playing with the mud helps them resist skin problems.

Likewise, people offer water, flowers and food items to their respected totem and consume it as the blessing. The people use all the items, including food, which come from the nature because the people of Terai are agriculture-oriented.

People also consume Oats Sattu, prepared by dry roasting oats, on the day of Nepali New Year. Similarly, an amount of food item cooked on the eve of New Year is mixed with the food cooked on the New Year Day and is taken as Prasad and distributed to relatives and friends.

On the occasion of the festivals, a fair takes place at Rajdevi Temple in Rajbiraj Municipality.

A month-long fair has also started since the Nepali New Year at the Sambhunath Temple in Sambhunath Municipality.

The Province 2 government gave a public holiday on Thursday on the occasion of Judshital and Siruwa festivals.

The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has led many people to celebrate the Judshital festival, an important cultural festival in the Mithila region, within their family again.