Jamai shasthi

India is a land of cultural diversity. Every states have their own culture.one can find the different types of  food habits, clothes, rituals and festivals. There is hardly any culture in the world that is as varied and unique as India.Hindus,specially bengali are the one who love to adore their relationship by celebrating special festival and rituals.

One of the festival celebrated by them is Jamai Shasthi. Jamai means “Son in law” and Shasthi means “ The sixth day of “shukla pakha” in the bengali month of “jaistha”.

In this day son in-law spends whole day with his in-laws and receive gifts, treats and blessing from “sosur bari”or in-laws home.

Story behind it: It is said that in a village their was a greedy lady who used to eat everything from the kitchen and used to blame the cat who used to come often in their house. Cat who are also considered to be a child of Goddess Shasthi, complains against that greedy lady to Goddess Shasthi. Now when this greedy lady give birth to seven son and one daughter,Maa Shasthi steal all of them as a punishment.Heart broken lady cries a lot then the goddess shasthi comes to her and reminds of her past wrongdoings. She used pray and worship goddess shasthi and then she gets her children back.Freom then women started worshipping goddess shasthi for their children.so on the day of Jamai shasthi mother in law  pray and perform this  ritual for his prosperities .

Jamai Shasthi

Celebration of the day: This festival is celebrated with a great joy.The married daughter and Son-in-law are invited by the in-laws. Everybody in the in-laws home starts decorating and planning.As the couple arrive on the door the  Mother-in-law holds the thali which consist of “Dhan” i.e. paddy, “Durba” a special kind of grass,five different fruits and a “Diya” lamp and a clay offer his son-in-law.He touches the feet of his mother-in-law and she bless him and then he enters into the home.She put a mark of curd on the forehead of son-in-law and ties a yellow thread on his wrist.

Mother in law offering the thali

Mother-in-law makes 15 to 16 dishes like Hilsha mach,Pulao,Dahi,Rossogulla,and many other dishes for the son.First of all the son-in-law eat and mother-in-law fan him with a hand fan and then other members of the house have the meal.