Festivals are an important part of the culture in the country. Chhath puja holds a great significance and is celebrated after the festival of Diwali and is four days long.
The vibrant festival is celebrated by a huge number of devotees. The devotees gather at the banks of the river and pray to Sun God and Chhathi Maiya and make offerings.
The devotees arrived at the ghats early morning and offered arghya to the rising sun on November 8. The devotees in the morning worshipped the Sun and the festival of four days concluded today. This year the festival is being celebrated from November 5 to November 8.
About Chhath Puja Celebration
In Chhath puja the devotees worship the Sun and it includes the offerings arghya to the setting and rising sun. Chhath puja is celebrated every year and is mostly celebrated in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. In the past few years the festival has seen an expansion and is being observed in different states of the country.
The festival worships the Sun and has strict rituals. The devotees have to fast without water and follow the rituals associated with it, which reflects devotion and spirituality. The devotees have to observe a fast without water and they observe a fast of 36 hours.
Chhath is celebrated six days after Diwali. The four day festival begins with Nahay khay which means bathe and eat in which people who are observing the fast follow rituals of taking a bath in ghats and then eating a simple food which consists of bottle gourd and rice.
The next day is observed as Kharna in which the devotees observe a fast from morning. In the evening after worshipping they have prasad kheer. After that they observe fast without water.
The third day is the day in which devotees go to the river banks and offer ‘arghya’ to the setting sun by immersing themselves in water bodies.
The fourth day the devotees visit the river banks or ghat to offer morning offerings or ‘Usha arghya, to the rising sun. With this the festival concludes.
Chhath puja is a festival which involves community participation and is a significant festival in areas where it is celebrated. A large number of people who live out of their hometown or villages due to work outside of their native places visit their homes during this festival. Thousands of devotees throng to the ghats and the sight of the festival is beautiful to watch. The songs associated with the festival can be heard and the feeling is great.
