Chief Minister of Madhes Province Lal Babu Raut offered best wishes to everyone on the occasion of Chauth Chandra and Haritalika festivals.
"May these festivals bring happiness, peace and prosperity to all Nepali people across the country and the province", he said in a message today.
The Chauth Chandra festival, also known as Chauthchan is celebrated in the Mithila region with high veneration and as per time-honoured tradition. Especially the Madhesi and the Tharu communities of the Mithila region observe the festival with special significance. The festival is celebrated on the fourth day of the bright half in the month of Bhadau.
On this day, a woman member of the family observing the festival observes a day-long fast. The woman observing the fasting offers a ritual worship to the Ganesha and the moon in the evening, said Karuna Jha, a Maithili campaigner.
The festival is concluded with the fasting woman dabbing the house courtyard with cow dung paste after sunset and lighting a butter lamp at the altar of the anointed place. The woman shows fruits and cookies to the god of moon as offerings. The ritual is then concluded.
The offerings made to the god of moon are then distributed to all the other family members. The Chandra Chauth festival usually falls 12 days after the Krishna Janmastami festival. This is the second biggest festival celebrated in Mithila region after Chhath. It is also known as Chaurchan, Chauthichan, Chaurchantha and Chauthi Chandra. It is majorly dedicated to the god of moon.
This festival also has helped highlight the Maithil art and culture.
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