Introduction

Chhath is the holiest festival celebrated by the people of Bihar, Jharkhand and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. It is celebrated in the month of Kartik according to the lunar calendar of the Hindus. The festival falls in the month of October – November according to the Gregorian calendar. The festival of Chhath is dedicated to the Sun, who has bequeathed the gift of life on the earth. It is also celebrated as thanksgiving to the Sun for fulfilling particular wishes of the devotees.

Dedicated to Sun Goddess

Chhath Puja is dedicated to the Sun. The important thing to be noted here is that it is not the Sun God but Sun Goddess. The Sun has been the object of worship in almost all religions and from the very beginning of the civilization. The worship of Sun finds its mention even in the Rig Veda which is the oldest Scripture of Hindu.

Activities

The festival of Chhath is celebrated for four days. The followings are the rituals and customs followed by the devotees on these days:

DAY 1

On the first day the devotees take a dip in the water bodies like pond or river. The river Ganga is considered to be the perfect for this. The holy water of the river or pond is then brought in the home to prepare the offerings for the worship.

DAY 2

A fasting is observed on this day which is broken in the evening with the porridge prepared from the Milk, Gur and Rice accompanied by Puris. Worship is performed by the devotee known as “Kharna”. The offerings are distributed among the family members and friends.

DAY 3

The third day and fourth are the main occasions of the Chhath festival. On the third day of the festival devotees prepare offerings at home. Before the nightfall everybody moves to the riverbank or a pond with offering containing variety of things like sugarcane sticks, fruits, vegetables, coconuts etc. The offering are then offered to the setting Sun. The celebration on the ponds and river banks are very colorful with people dressed up in new clothes. The occasion is celebrated with excitement and lot of fireworks.

DAY 4

The fourth day of the festival marks the end of the festival. It is the most important day of the Chhath Puja. Devotees once again throng the riverbanks and ponds. Offerings are made to the rising Sun on this day. After the completion of offerings or “Argha” there is time of great celebration. The devotees break their fast with the offerings and rejoice the festivity with religious fervor. The surroundings of the festival sites is reverberates with loud music and folk songs dedicated to “Chhatti Maiyya”.