During Child Birth
From helping during the labour pains to the time of getting cleaned of birth pollution, the Rajbanshi women of Daiyani or Hadi group should play a special role. Likewise, the barber also has a role there. If the child is born on Sunday the birth pollution is cleaned on the same day; otherwise it is cleaned after five or seven days. In order to purify the woman in childbirth from birth pollution the barber must cut her nails and give the child a haircut (Sharma, BS2046). The christening is done by parents or Brahmin within 15 days. Popular names are given by neighbours.
The birth ritual of the Rajbanshis is an important ceremony. The Rajbanshi society has the norm that a woman in pregnancy should not be physically and mentally tortured and troubled. They have the concept that if a pregnant woman has tension and trouble, it will badly affect the baby in the womb. They take caution thinking that ghosts may affect a troubled and tortured woman in pregnancy. The belief is that a woman in pregnancy should avoid seeing bad stuffs, hearing abuses, lifting heavy things, jumping over cords tethered to animals and looking at animals like monkeys and horses (these animals are considered as bad omens). They put a knife under the mattress and wear amulets in order to avoid ghosts and evil spirits. They have the custom that the natal home feeds a pregnant daughter or sister rice pudding before she has a delivery. A Haindi-caste Dayani (a delivery nurse) takes care of a woman in delivery. These days, a woman is also taken to a nearby health- post or hospital for the delivery (if possible). After the delivery, baby is kept on Nanglo (the flat basket) to greet family god, sun god, village god and all other gods in order to get blessings. A woman in delivery is supposed to be ritually pure after five days regardless of the sex of the baby.
There was no traditional practice of giving name among the Rajbanshis in the past but there has been change in this regard for a couple of decades. These days the child is also named on the basis of the signs of zodiac. Traditionally, grandmother names the child. The naming practice in the Rajbanshi society is interesting. The child is named after the nature, events, months, days, time, seasons, cultural and social events and names of objects, birds and animals. Imitating the hills people, they also name a child on the basis of the names of gods and goddesses. Traditionally, only the first child has rice feeding ceremony in the Rajbanshi society which is held between five to nine months. The rice feeding ceremony is celebrated in a grand way regardless of the sex of the baby. Maternal uncle makes pudding from milk and feeds it to the baby. The uncles bear the expenses incurred upon for the celebration of the occasion.A person without completing Kanapindabar or ear piercing culture cannot get married. This culture should be completed even before the marriage ceremony. The ear piercing of some of the babies is completed on the day of rice feeding. This ritual is performed by Gashain Thakur. In the Rajbanshi community, the menstruation is regarded simply as a natural process. Women do not take part in holy or worshipping activities for the first four days from the day of menstruation.
During Marriage
In marriage, girls are searched by middlemen. The boy's side gives an amount of money named 'Chumna' to the girl's side to ask for the girl. The amount of this gift money is determined on the basis of the demand of the girl's mother. It is given as much as the girl's mother asks for. Those who cannot offer this Chumna have to either marry the girl by staying in the girl's parents' home or become Daguwa (domestic helper as well as husband) of a widow. Such Daguwas don't have any rights. Some Rajbanshis bury their dead and the barber has a role in the death rites also. The death pollution or mourning period is complete in 12 days. On the last day of mourning they eat meat and rice.
The Rajbanshi community is found to marry according to the Hindu traditions. People marry within their own community but outside their lineage. Marriage also does not take place within the three generations of the Mit (fictive kin) and seven generations of Guru (religious preacher). In the past, they had a system called ‘Chumana system’ under which bride's parents were given money or articles of wealth—a remnant culture of bridewealth. But now this system has almost disappeared.
Arranged marriage is generally preferred in the Rajbanshi community, albeit there is the occasional occurrence of love marriage. In the case of arranged marriage, Karuwa (matchmaker) initiates the marriage proposal and Gasain Thakur performs the rituals. Once the zodiac of the prospective partners is found to be auspicious, the program of meeting the girl proceeds. Five people including the groom's father and his relatives on behalf of the groom visit the bride's home. The groom's father puts a pair of betel and nut (pansupari) on the bride's hand. At the same time, the groom's father examines the bride's nature, wisdom, and practical knowledge. Likewise groom visit program by bride’s father takes place at the groom's home. The bride's father puts betel and nut Rs. 101, shirt, dhoti, watch, finger-ring, on the groom's hand. Then the auspicious marriage day is fixed. Marriage is not certain until Darahaguwa ritual is fulfilled. Decision is made on the day of Daraguwa. On this day, the clothes and jewelry as demanded by the bride's father are brought and the decision is made. On the day of marriage or just before leaving for the marriage procession, Kasakuta ritual is to be held according to which married sisters, aunts, and sister-in-laws prepare a mixture of turmeric, a bhojo (a herb) and oil and anoint it on the groom's body. Kasakuta is, in fact, a ritual for soul purity. Before leaving for the marriage procession, Aam Mohaliwa ritual is performed in which the groom has to go around a mango tree for five times and money, betel, nut and holy grass (dubo) are offered to worship the deities.
On the day of marriage procession, Gashain Thakur takes the groom to a temple of family god and administers mantras in his ears for soul purification. Along with the preparation of the marriage procession, an object called Jivanchhuri (a full nut with a pierced knife) is placed on the hand of the groom. After this, the procession begins with bands and gunfire by riding buses or elephants in the past. Just before reaching the bride's home, children on behalf of the bride block the path to the people in the procession. They discontinue it only after the groom gives them some money. When the procession reaches the bride's home, the groom and bride get seated on Maruwa (dais or platform). Then, the bride's
father offering his daughter to the groom asks-" Have you got my daughter?" and the groom says-" Yes, I have." These sentences get repeated thrice. Then the father-in-law hands over his daughter to the son-in-law and utters him," Sin if killed and piety if cared for". After this, the groom puts vermillion on the forehead of the bride three times.
At the time of putting the vermillion, the bride's younger sister and the relatives prevent the groom from doing so by blocking the bride's head with a piece of cloth. When the groom gives them some money, they stop doing it. Thus, the marriage is held. In the evening time, the procession returns home. Then, with much fanfare, the groom's mother makes the entry of the daughter-in-law including the procession to her
home. At the marriage party, relatives, neighbors and villagers are invited for a meal. On this day, the newly wed couple serve Haldibhat (yellow rice) especially to the people present there. This practice helps to establish the new bride's identity and social acceptance and be socialized in the new social ambience.
During Death Period
Among the Rajbanshis, dead body is either buried or cremated according to the Hindu tradition. A baby with no teeth is buried and there is no observance of mortuary rite for him/her.Three to five day long mortuary rite is observed for other minors with teeth. During the death of other people, it is observed for the 13 days. The eldest son sets fire to the corpse of father or mother. The eldest or youngest son performs Malaluwa (mortuary rite) and other sons are just considered as ritually impure only. After burial or cremation at the funeral spot, the people in the death procession have a bath in the river and return home. Before a man participating in the procession enters his home, the dung or hay fire has to be placed in front of the main gate to his house for ritual purification. Along with it, a pot full of water with Tulasi (a holy plant) leaves is placed. All the men who have taken part in the funeral procession wash their hands and legs and touch fire and enter their homes. All the participants in the procession are served tea and lunch. The person who observes all the mortuary rites has to return home with a piece of white cloth tied to his neck. He observes ritual polluation for 13 days.
During Sacred Function
In every sacred function, Rajbanshis use banana leaves or banana trunk. Nuts are also required. They make Hirawal Jhalla (a kind of thin carpet), etc from jute. They make homes of single storey buildings by raising walls of mud up to two feet and thereafter cover them with wooden bars on all four sides. Males wear langauti and females wear petani. They do not observe pollution of menstruation. They eat plenty of fish in their food. Unlike Koches Rajbanshis never have spirits and chicken.
Respect Of Thakur
Koches are a tribe of matriarchal system but only rituals and traditions of it are found remaining among the Rajbanshis. Nevertheless, women are relatively free and full of self-respect. Locally prestigious people gather and decide almost every social function. Rajbanshis, basically follow shamanistic religion. They respect Kali very much. They build a hut for Kali in the village to worship khappar (the ‘skull'). Various forces of nature are worshipped in the name of Thakurs. Thunthuniya, Adit, Lakhigajadhar, Chanatkhela, Chaturmariya are some of them. Thakur is the family teacher of Rajbanshis. They celebrate new year and the puja of Ashad, etc (Rajbanshi, BS2057).
Food Habits, Dress Patterns and Religion
Rajbanshis are food-loving people. They principally consume rice, pulse, curry, beaten rice, and a variety of pickles domestically prepared. Traditionally, women wear Petani (a cloth similar to the loin-cloth which is tied up to the upper part of their chest) and men wear dhoti and shirt. But there have been changes these days. Women wear sari and blouse. Girls wear kurta suruwal, shirts, pants and skirts and boys wear all types of modern dresses. Women traditionally wear ornaments on the head, neck, waist, arms and legs. The Rajbanshis are one of the most Hinduized aboriginal people of the eastern Terai. Previously, they were the nature worshippers. Traditionally, they celebrate their own festival such as the Pawani. They also celebrate the Dashain and Tiwar like the other Hindus.
Occupation
Rajbanshis' main occupation is agriculture. Until the people from mountain areas moved down to Jhapa and Morang, Rajbanshi were both landowners and farmers. But the simple-natured Rajbanshis were entrapped into indebtedness by these settlers from outside and who took away their land. There are, however, some well-to-do Rajbanshis who are called Deuniya. Rest of the Rajbanshis have reached a state where they have to sell their property for buying subsistence level food.
Economic System
Rajbanshis predominatly practice agriculture as their profession. They are very laborious. Prior to the 1960s, they, together with the Satars and Dhimals, were the only indigenous farmers of Jhapa. But the eradication of malaria in mid-1960s and the subsequent migration of the clever Brahmins, Chhetris, Rais and Limbus triggered the grabbing of their traditional land resources through fair or foul means. All this had, indeed, the direct bearing on the reduction of their landholding and landlessness in some cases. The political economy of the state turned many landlord Rajbanshis into the tenant farmers. Still they are eking out their livelihood from their reduced size of landholding and tenanted land. Some even work as agricultural laborers. Of late, some Rajbanshis have turned to be petty businessmen and white-collor job holders.
Others
•The Rajbanshi are a dark-skinned people of medium height. 
