Mithila: The Samachakewa festival has commenced in the Mithila region, including Mahottari. This festival, dedicated to brothers, is celebrated by the women of Mithila, known as Mithilani, and began on Monday night.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the festival kicks off on the second day of the Chhath festival, or the fifth day of Kattik Shukla in the month of Kartik, and continues for 11 days, culminating on Purnima, the full moon day of Kartik. During this period, women from the Mithila community come together at night to sing songs that honor the courage, benevolence, dedication, and love of their brothers. Locally, the festival is referred to as Samakhel.
The festivities start on the day of Kharana during Chhath, a significant festival in the region. Women craft clay figures representing Sama and Chakewa, mythical characters from the Dwapara Yuga, along with Brindavan, Saptarshi, birds, and Chugala, the gossip messenger. These figures are adorned with vibrant colors, and the women sing songs while engaging symbolically with the characters. Oil lamps are lit in a dala, a traditional wicker basket, as they narrate the virtues of each figure, emphasizing the philanthropic and brave deeds of their brothers. The songs reflect pride and admiration for the brothers’ courage, social contributions, and good deeds.
The character of Chugala, seen as a gossipmonger, is symbolically punished during the festival by singeing his beard with a small flame from a broom. In song, he is scolded and blamed for his mischievous actions. On the final day, Purnima, brothers traditionally place all the clay figures on their knees and break them before disposing of the remnants in deserted forests. Following this, brothers offer their sisters beaten rice made from newly harvested paddy and Sakkhar, or molasses. In return, sisters serve their brothers delicacies, and the brothers present their sisters with clothes, jewelry, and cash (dakshina), marking the festival’s conclusion.
The origins of the Samachakewa festival trace back to a legendary tale from the Dwapara Yuga involving Sama, the daughter of Lord Krishna, and her beloved, the army commander Chakradhar (Chakewa). The myth recounts how Chugala’s gossip angered Krishna, leading him to curse Sama and Chakewa and transform them into birds. Krishna’s son, Samba, undertook a penance to Lord Shiva and was granted a boon allowing him to appease Krishna. Consequently, Sama and Chakewa were freed from the curse, returned to human form, and married. In gratitude, Sama sang songs praising her brother Samba, establishing the tradition of the Sama-Chakewa festival. Hemnarayan Lal Karn, principal of Yajnavalkya Lakshminarayan Vidyapeeth (Sanskrit Campus) in Matihani, elucidates this origin of the festival’s customs.