Village Life & Customs
The Culture of a Bihari Village: Traditions That Still Live
Courtyards, ponds, fields and festivals. What life in a Bihari village is like, the traditions it keeps and how it is changing.
Women’s traditions
Folk Music & Dance
The Traditional Wedding Songs of Bihar
Suhag, lagan, lachari and the tearful samdaun. A guide to the wedding songs women sing in Mithila and the Bhojpuri region, and…
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Village Life & Customs
Mithila Weddings: Rituals, Songs and Kohbar Traditions
From Saurath Sabha and the panji records to the painted kohbar and the songs of farewell. The rituals and meaning of a…
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Folk Music & Dance
Jhijhiya: The Folk Dance of North Bihar
Lit clay pots, circling women and songs to the goddess. How Mithila’s Jhijhiya is danced through the ten nights of Navratri.
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Folk Music & Dance
Jat-Jatin: The Traditional Folk Dance of Bihar
A couple’s love, quarrels and separation, danced by women on monsoon nights. The story, ritual and performance of Mithila’s Jat-Jatin.
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Art & Handicrafts
Tikuli Art: A Traditional Craft of Bihar
From glass-and-gold bindis in Mughal-era Patna to glossy enamel paintings made by thousands of women. The story of Bihar’s Tikuli art.
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Art & Handicrafts
Sikki Art: The Golden Grass Craft of Bihar
Wild wetland grass, a single needle and generations of women’s skill. How the golden sikki grass of Mithila is coiled into boxes,…
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Festivals & Rituals
Bihar’s Forgotten Festivals and Traditions
Madhushravani, Chaurchan, Jur Sital, Kojagara, Bihula-Bishahari and Sohrai: lesser-known festivals still kept in the homes and villages of Bihar.
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Festivals & Rituals
Jitiya: The Festival of a Mother’s Love
For a day and a night, mothers in Bihar fast without food or water for their children. The story, rituals and meaning…
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Festivals & Rituals
Sama-Chakeva: The Beautiful Festival of Mithila
Clay birds, moonlit fields and songs for brothers. How the women of Mithila celebrate Sama-Chakeva, the festival of a sister and her…
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Festivals & Rituals
Chhath Puja: The Festival That Connects Every Bihari
Four days of fasting and prayer to the sun, ending with offerings at the water’s edge at sunset and sunrise. The festival…
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Art & Handicrafts
Madhubani Painting: The Art That Put Mithila on the World Map
From the mud walls of Mithila’s homes to museums around the world. The history, styles, artists and changing life of Madhubani painting.
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