Aama ko Mukh Herne Din

 

 

Aama ko Mukh Herne Din

Mother Day in Nepal

Mother’s Day in Nepal is also known as Mata Tirtha Aausi. We do have a day to remember and honor our mother as Mata Tirtha Aunsi on the month of Baisakh Krishna aausi. Mukh Herne means "to allow someone as our relative or give respect or to recognize the achievement of or love to someone". This is the day when we recognize and pay respect to our mother for her care and unconditional love to us, so we call this day the "Mother’s day" – “Aama ko Mukh Herne Din” (the literal meaning is “to see Mother’s face”). People pay homage to their mothers presenting her favourite food, clothing and various gifts on this day. Traditional Delicacies- The day features special dishes like kheer (rice pudding), achar (pickle), and other local cuisines that symbolize the sweetness and spice mothers bring to life.

Mother's day is not attached to a certain religion or a particular community. This occasion is observed by many communities across the nation. Mother's day in Nepal is a tradition rather than a festival of a particular group or community. Those who have already lost his/her mother remember her giving Sida Daan to pandit (Sida is holy mixture of rice grains and other pure food materials with clothes). 

Generally people around Kathmandu visit Mata Tirtha (holy place North West of Kathmandu) to perform “Sraddha” or “Pinda Daan” to their deceased mother. People in different part of the country do the ritual at home or at a river or any other holy place nearby.

According to a local legend, a young boy would take his livestock to a nearby pond to feed them. However, every time he sat down to eat, some of his food would accidentally fall into the water. One day, as he glanced at the pond, he saw a vision of his deceased mother, who had come to visit him. She could not join him for his meal but promised to visit him every year on the new moon day of the Nepali month Baisakh. Following this incident, people began visiting the pond in the hopes of connecting with their deceased mothers. Nepal has various ethnic groups, all different community and tribe have their own way of celebrating mother’s day.

They prepare foods and tasty feast to their mother. The celebration and fun of the festival depends upon the place, climate and ethnicity. However, the ultimate essence of the festival is to give love and respect to our mother.