Jitiya Festival being observed today: President, Vice-President and Prime Minister give their best wishes

The Jitiya festival is being observed in the country, especially in the Terai region with great fervor.

The festival falls on the eight day of the waning moon (Krishna Pakshya) in the Nepali month of Ashwin as per the lunar calendar and is celebrated by wishing for the longevity of offspring and family’s well-being by observing strict fasting.

Prior to observing a fast, women devotees take a holy bath in nearby rivers, ponds or lakes and observe a fast.

The tradition has it that devotees offer beaten rice, curd, food items/delicacies made from mango juice, jaggery, mustard oil and so on the Lord Jitamohan and the departed ancestors on the leaf of sponge guard.

The festival that carries religious and cultural significance highlights the cultural role and importance of women in Mithila community.

President Ramchandra Paudel, Vice President Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and Speaker Devraj Ghimire have wished for happiness, peace and prosperity to all Nepalis on the occasion of Jitiya Parva.

Issuing separate messages of the best wishes, President Paudel, Vice President Yadav and PM Dahal have expressed the confidence that the unique festivals like Jitiya make contributions to maintain and promote social unity and goodwill.

In his message, the President said that the Jitiya like festivals have established distinct identities in Nepal that has ethnic, lingual, religious and cultural diversities and added that the festivals have created mutual respect, goodwill and tolerance by protecting Nepal’s diversities.

Likewise, the Vice President has said that this festival has helped keep our diverse cultures and identities intact by observing this festival in a collective manner.

Vice President Yadav has added that social and religious tolerance, mutual confidence, cooperation, friendship, brotherhood and reconciliation are the key features of such holy festivals.

Similarly, PM Prachanda has expressed the confidence that the festival would help contribute in made an equitable society along with equality, prosperity and social justice by ending conservative mindsets and discriminations in the society.

The PM has expressed his confidence that the festival play a crucial role in maintaining balance to the social relations, mutual cooperation, goodwill and tolerance in the society.

The PM is of the view that maintaining social and cultural harmony and ensuring goodwill in the society by accepting the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural identities of Nepal is inevitable.

Furthermore, Speaker Devraj Ghimire has said that cultural festivals like Jitiya have vital contributions in making an equitable, progressive and civilized society.