Vidyapati's padasMaithili
Radha's longing, and Shiva as a poor and difficult husband. Six hundred years old and still sung from memory in villages that do not own a printed copy.
Sung at: Sung year-round, and at Shivratri and Holi.
Mithilanchal · Middle & Lower Gangetic Plain
Folk songs
NachariMaithili
Complaint and supplication addressed to Shiva, sung in a falling melodic line.
Sung at: Shivratri, and evening gatherings.
SamdaunMaithili
Farewell sung by the women of the bride's household as she leaves. Among the most affecting song forms in the eastern plain, and one people still weep to.
Sung at: A bride's departure.
Jat-JatinMaithili
Migration and separation, performed as a comic duet between a wife and an absent husband — the region's oldest running commentary on the fact that its men leave to find work.
Sung at: Monsoon nights.
Chhath geetMaithili and Bhojpuri
Addressed to the sun and to Chhathi Maiya, sung walking to the ghat and through the night vigil. "Kelva je phare la ghawad se" and "Ugi hey suraj dev" are sung by whole districts at once.
Sung at: Chhath, Kartik and Chaitra.
Sama-Chakeva songsMaithili
Sisters sing to clay bird figures representing a brother and sister of legend, ending with the figures' ritual breaking and immersion.
Sung at: Kartik, over eight nights.
SoharMaithili
Blessing and congratulation, sung by the women of the neighbourhood.
Sung at: After a birth.
Salhesh gathaMaithili
The epic of Raja Salhesh, a Dusadh hero-god, sung through the night — a caste-specific epic tradition with its own shrines, songs and painting style.
Sung at: Shrine festivals.
The folk songs of Mithilanchal — what they are about, who sings them and when. (8)