Sama Chakewa festival begins across Mithilanchal
The ten-day Sama Chakewa festival has begun in Mithilanchal, celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters through traditional clay art and folk music.
The annual Sama Chakewa festival has commenced across the Mithilanchal region, marking a period of cultural celebration dedicated to the bond between brothers and sisters. According to reports from Onlinekhabar, Clickmandu, and Nepal Press, the festival began on Kartik Shukla Panchami and will span ten days, culminating in the immersion of the Sama Chakewa idols on the night of the full moon. Annapurna Post notes that the festival is particularly vibrant in rural areas, where the traditional songs are performed live by women, contrasting with urban centers where the music is often limited to social media platforms.
During this period, women and girls create artistic figures of Sama and Chakewa using clay sourced from fields by their brothers. As detailed by Onlinekhabar and Clickmandu, participants gather in groups to sing traditional folk songs, such as those invoking the prosperity and longevity of their brothers. These clay figures are placed in red bamboo baskets, decorated with lamps, and carried to various community locations, including temples, schools, and crossroads, for nightly performances.
Pandit Ramkumar Shastri, cited by Onlinekhabar, Clickmandu, and Nepal Press, explains that the festival serves as a time for married women to return to their maternal homes. For those without siblings, the tradition allows them to participate alongside neighbors and relatives. The celebration is widely observed across the Madhesh Province, including districts such as Mahottari, Sarlahi, Siraha, Dhanusha, Saptari, Bara, and Parsa, as well as in bordering regions of India.
The festival concludes on the eleventh day, the full moon night. On this day, the idols are repainted, and brothers are offered curd and beaten rice. Following the ritual, the idols are broken by the brothers and subsequently immersed in water amidst music and celebration, as reported by Onlinekhabar, Clickmandu, and Nepal Press. Annapurna Post highlights that the atmosphere in the Madhesh region has become increasingly musical as the community engages in these collective rituals, which serve as an enduring symbol of familial love and harmony.