Jhulelal
Cheti Chand
The Sindhi new year, and the birthday of Jhulelal, lord of the waters.
Tithi: Chaitra Shukla Dwitiya, the new moon's first sighting of the Sindhi year.
In the simplest words
Sindhi New Year and Jhulelal's birthday. He is the water god who rose from the river to protect his people; lamps float where he is remembered.
The story & purpose
When the Sindhu community was threatened by the tyrant Mirkhshah, tradition tells, the people prayed for forty days on the banks of the Indus, and from the river rose Jhulelal, the child-saint on a palla fish, avatar of Varuna, who humbled the tyrant with the water's own patience.
The rest of the story
Cheti Chand, the moon of Chet, begins the Sindhi year in his name. Behrana Sahib, a lamp-and-offering float, is carried in procession and given to the waters; 'Jhule Jhule Jhulelal' rings wherever Sindhis have made a home.
What is done
Behrana Sahib
A plate of jyot (lamp), misri, phota, fruit and akha taken in procession and offered to a river or sea.
Chhej & procession
The Sindhi folk dance and community fair: the year begins in company.
Water veneration
Varuna thanked at the water's edge; new-year resolutions spoken over flowing water.
Best timings
Processions gather in the evening, after the new moon's sliver is sighted.
Exact muhurat varies by city and tradition; for the precise hour, consult a local panchang for your location.
Worth knowing
The Sindhi blessing of safe passage is Jhulelal's cry 'Jeko chavando Jhulelal, tenhija theenda bera paar': whoever remembers Jhulelal, their boat will cross.
For a community scattered by Partition, this day is homeland, calendar, and identity in one.
Jhulelal is honoured by both Sindhi Hindus and many Sindhi Sufis, a saint of the river between.