From daughters to goddesses, Khoichh carries a wish for happiness in Mithila culture

In Mithila, the love and blessings bestowed on a daughter find another expression in Khoinchh offered to goddesses for family welfare and prosperity

DHANUSHA: In Mithila culture, the place of ‘Khoichh’ is extremely high and emotional. When a mother or senior family member bids farewell to a daughter by giving her Khoichh, the daughter’s eyes well up with tears. That is a moment filled with love, affection, and compassion. Connected with this emotion is the tradition of filling Khoichh for goddesses, which has been practiced in Mithila for centuries.

Paddy, rice, raw turmeric, betel nut, grass (Cynodon dactylon), makhana, fruits, and vermilion, along with bangles and tika which are considered symbols of good fortune, are placed in Khoichh. The sentiment of the Khoichh given when bidding farewell to a daughter in Mithila is singular: wherever the daughter stays, in whatever condition she may be, she should remain happy. This same wish is also expressed in devotion toward goddesses.

Devotees performing the offering ritual of ‘Khoichh’

Goddesses are also like daughters of the house

“In our house, the goddess is not just considered a deity, but like a daughter of the house,” says Aakriti Karn, a 30-year-old woman met at the temple premises. According to her, just as Khoichh is given to a daughter while bidding her farewell with wishes for happiness and prosperity, similarly, Khoichh is filled at goddess temples and places of worship with wishes for the family’s health, the children’s longevity, and the welfare of the entire country.