Jaggery demand rises due to Chhath

By Nagendrakumar Karna, Mahottari, Nov. 7: With the Chhath festival approaching, demand for jaggery (sakkhar) has increased in the market, keeping sugarcane farmers in Mahottari busy extracting juice from sugarcane and producing jaggery. Jaggery is an essential ingredient in several offerings prepared during the four-day Chhath festival, one of the major festivals celebrated in the Mithila region.

It is also used to prepare sel roti, a traditional delicacy made in many households during Tihar, further increasing its demand at this time of the year. On Kharna, the second day of Chhath, devotees observe a day-long fast and prepare rice pudding using jaggery as an offering to Goddess Chhathi Maiya. In the evening, they offer the pudding along with rice bread, bananas, radishes and other food items before consuming the prasad.

They then observe a rigorous fast for the following two days. The main offerings prepared during Chhath include thekuwa and bhuswa, both of which require jaggery as a key ingredient.