Mahottari, Nov 24: The Laban festival is being marked today in the districts of Madhes province. This festival is marked to begin the new food grains in use.    
As per the tradition, it is believed that the food grains is acceptable for daily consumption after marking this festival.    

Basically, the folks in the districts offer paddy to the fire god by practising Homan, stating that the food grains now could be used throughout the year.    

This festival could be marked in any of the day in the month of Mangsir after harvesting paddy but it is mostly celebrated on the day of Kartik Shukla Dwadashi.    

As the local paddy crops are harvested in Kartik in the recent decades, this festival is developed as a practice to mark in the month of Kartik, according to Dr Rajendra Prasad Bimal, a scholar of Mithila traditions. (RSS)