Sama Chakewa festival begins across Mithilanchal

The annual Sama Chakewa festival is underway across the Mithilanchal region, marking a ten-day celebration of the bond between brothers and sisters. Commencing on Kartik Shukla Panchami, the event involves women and girls crafting clay figures of Sama and Chakewa, which are then carried in decorated red bamboo baskets to community sites like temples and schools for nightly performances. According to Annapurna Post, the festival is particularly lively in rural areas, where traditional songs are performed live by women, in contrast to urban centers where music is frequently sourced from social media.

Pandit Ramkumar Shastri notes that the tradition serves as a time for married women to return to their maternal homes. The festival is widely observed throughout the Madhesh Province—encompassing Mahottari, Sarlahi, Siraha, Dhanusha, Saptari, Bara, and Parsa—as well as in bordering Indian regions. The celebration concludes on the full moon night, when brothers are offered curd and beaten rice before the clay idols are broken and immersed in water.