Chhath Puja

Chhath Puja

Chhath Puja is a popular Hindu festival. This festival is celebrated on the sixth of the Shukla Paksha of Kartik month according to the Hindu calendar. This festival lasts for four days. Chhath Puja is mainly celebrated in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and other parts of India. This festival is also celebrated in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam and Mauritius and Nepal.

Chhath Puja is also known by the name of Dala Chhath. This festival is celebrated for the longevity of the husband and the desire for child happiness. Devotees start preparations in advance for this 36-hour fast. The glory of Chhath festival started from the eastern part of India is now visible in many parts of India. From Diwali itself, women start preparing for this ritual.

On the first day of this festival, fasting women consume gram dal, gourd vegetables and roti. On the second day, Chhoti Chharna (Kharna) starts fasting at night by consuming Rasiyaav (jaggery kheer). On the next day, she fasts for the day and offers prayers to the setting sun. On the next day, she observes the fast by paying obeisance to the rising sun. The blessings of the sun god, symbol of happiness, prosperity, remain on all the animals of the earth, and ask for its blessing.

On the occasion of Chhath festival, people make offerings according to their ability. Seven, eleven, twenty-one and twenty-one types of fruits and vegetables and other dishes are taken in bamboo sticks to the husband or son of the fasting woman. Ardha is offered to Lord Surya in the evening through Pandit first and then in the morning with raw milk of cow. While going to the ghat, the women sing the songs of Chhath Maiya and after worshiping the sun, there is a deep Diwali atmosphere at the ghat.