The four-day Chhath Festival will start on Monday. Celebrated after Diwali and mainly celebrated by people belonging to Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, Chhath involves offering “Arghya” to the sun god by fasting women in knee-deep water. The festival is now also celebrated in other parts of the country. Although Chhath is celebrated twice in a year, the celebration ceremonies held in the month of Kartik (according to the Hindu calendar) include elaborate ceremonies.

The Chhath festival began with the “Nahay Khay” ceremony that will be held today. The fasting believers take a bath, wear clean clothes, and prepare to pray for the sun god. Chana daal and Kaddoo Bhaat (pumpkin rice) are a popular prasad (offering) made by devotees on this day. The next day, kheer prasad made with gud (raw sugar) and arwa chawal (rice) was made.

This was the hardest day because the devotee began to fast (no water) for 36 hours. On the third day, the fast continued, but the believers did not even drink a drop of water. The prasad of this day includes thekua, and the sun god is provided argya in the body of water. The fast lasted all night, and on the fourth and last day, the sacrifice was paid to the rising sun (Usha Arghya) and the devotee stood in knee-deep water. The fast ends and prasad is distributed.

On November 5, the Delhi government declared November 10 this year as a public holiday in the name of Chhath Puja. Due to coronavirus disease (Covid-19) restrictions, last year’s celebrations were muted. The festival has political significance in the capital because Purvanchalis (indigenous people of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) who settled in Delhi and celebrated the festival are the main voting bank in the city.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said last week that the Delhi government is organizing Chhath Puja in approximately 1,100 localities.

News Source : Hindustan Times