Jaisalmer : Traditions are still followed in Jaisalmer of western Rajasthan. Festivals based on various legends are celebrated with full rituals. One of those special festivals is Bachh Baras (Bachh Baras 2024). This festival is celebrated by mothers for the long life and healthy life of their sons. According to traditions, on this day the cow which has a son i.e. a calf is worshipped.
No milk products today
Today, the festival of Bachh Baras is being celebrated with great pomp in the entire district including Jaisalmer city. Early in the morning, women worshiped the cow and calf. After performing the ritual, now throughout the day women will eat according to the customs of the festival. According to the elders, only mothers of sons worship Bachh Baras. On this day, women do not consume any product made from cow’s milk. Also, they do not use wheat cut with iron. Women eat millet bread. They use buffalo or goat milk and sprouted rice.
Women listen to the story after worship
This festival started hundreds of years ago. Mata Samta Vyas, who came to worship, told that earlier wheat kheer was called Gehuwala and cow calf was called Gaula. Its pronunciation was the same. A woman asked a newly married girl to offer wheat in a degchi (cooking vessel), but the naive girl mistakenly put the cow calf i.e. Gaula in a vessel of hot water. When the mother-in-law saw this, she was shocked. Then God protected the calf and saved it. Since then, the mother of a son worships the cow and its calf to protect her son. Many such stories are told in connection with this festival. After the worship, women sit together and listen to the story. It is said that newly married couples or women who have conceived can also perform this worship, so that they get a son.
