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About Cheti Chand

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About Cheti Chand

Cheti Chand is the Sindhi New Year, held on the first day after the new moon of Chaitra, usually in March or April. Chet is the Sindhi name of the month and chand means moon.

It is also the birth anniversary of Jhulelal, revered by Sindhi Hindus as a saviour and a form of the water god. Stories say he protected the people of Sindh in a hard time, and he is shown seated on a fish.

Families visit temples, offer a bahrano of lamps, flour, sugar and fruit to a river or the sea, and join processions dancing the chhej to drums. Sweet tahiri rice and festive meals are shared with everyone.

Sindhi families celebrate it across India, in Pakistan's Sindh, and in large communities in the Gulf, the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and many other places.

  • Start of the month of Chet
  • March or April
  • Birthday of Jhulelal
  • Sindhis in India, Pakistan and abroad

Where it began

Cheti Chand means the moon of Chet. The Sindhi new year begins on the first day of Chet after the new moon, close to Gudi Padwa and Ugadi.

Legend says that long ago the people of Sindh were troubled by a harsh ruler named Mirkhshah. They gathered on the banks of the Indus and prayed to Varun Dev, the lord of water. Their prayers were answered with the birth of a child named Uderolal, who grew up to be Jhulelal and taught that people of all faiths should live in freedom and peace.

Jhulelal is loved by Sindhi Hindus, and Sufi followers in Sindh honour him as Khwaja Khizr or Zindapir. Old shrines near Hyderabad in Sindh are linked to his story.

Flower lamps like those offered to the water on Cheti Chand

How it grew over time

  1. Medieval period

    By tradition, Jhulelal is born in Sindh, and his followers begin to keep his birthday as the new year.

  2. British period

    Large fairs are held each year at the shrines of Uderolal and Zindapir in Sindh.

  3. 1947

    Many Sindhi families settle in India and carry Cheti Chand to their new homes.

  4. Later decades

    The festival grows in cities like Mumbai, Ulhasnagar, Ahmedabad and Jaipur, and among Sindhis worldwide.

  5. Today

    Cheti Chand is a day of Sindhi pride, faith and community across many countries.

How it is celebrated in different places

  • Ulhasnagar and Mumbai

    Processions with tableaux of Jhulelal move through the streets, with music and chhej dancers.

  • Gujarat and Rajasthan

    Sindhi communities in Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Ajmer hold temple prayers, fairs and community meals.

  • Sindh, Pakistan

    Devotees gather at the old shrines linked to Jhulelal near the Indus.

  • Dubai, Hong Kong and beyond

    Sindhi families abroad hold prayers by the sea and cultural evenings for the new year.

Cheti Chand moments

An island on the Indus at Sukkur in an old photographSukkur, Sindh
Sindhi mirror work dresses, part of the festive heritage of Sindh
The Indus, the river at the heart of the Jhulelal story

Cheti Chand today

Devotees carry the bahrano to a river, lake or the sea. It holds an oil lamp, sugar crystals, cardamom, fruit and a water pot topped with a coconut, cloth and flowers, offered with prayers to the water.

Homes cook sweet tahiri rice and festive Sindhi dishes, and many people start new account books and new ventures on this lucky day.

How people celebrate Cheti Chand

  • Bahrano offering at a river or the sea
  • Temple visits and prayers to Jhulelal
  • Processions with chhej dance
  • Sweet tahiri and festive Sindhi food
  • Starting new accounts and ventures

How to wish well

  • "Ayo Lal, Jhulelal" and "Cheti Chand jyun lakh lakh vadhayun" are the classic greetings.
  • Sindhi families live all over the world, so wishes are often sent across time zones the evening before.
  • Keep jokes about the food and dancing, never about faith.

Questions about Cheti Chand

When is Cheti Chand 2027?

Cheti Chand in 2027 falls on 8 April, the day after the Chaitra new moon day used for Gudi Padwa and Ugadi.

Why is Cheti Chand celebrated?

It is the Sindhi New Year and the birth anniversary of Jhulelal, the patron saint of Sindhi Hindus.

What does Ayo Lal Jhulelal mean?

It is a joyful call meaning "Jhulelal has come", used as a greeting and in songs.

What is a bahrano?

An offering of a lamp, flour, sugar, fruit and flowers, carried in procession and given to a river or the sea.

What food is made on Cheti Chand?

Sweet tahiri rice is the classic dish, along with sai bhaji, koki and other Sindhi favourites.

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