Chhath Puja - Ancient Traditional Cultural Hindu Festival of India.

 

Chhath Puja is an ancient Indo-Nepalese Hindu festival celebrating in eastern India and southern Nepal. It is celebrated, especially in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Koshi, Gandaki, Bagmati, Lumbini, and Madhesh provinces of Nepal.

 

In major Indian and Nepalese urban centres like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kathmandu, the diaspora actively participates in celebrating Chhath Puja, preserving their cultural heritage. The festival is also celebrated by the diaspora in countries such as the United States, Australia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Mauritius, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

 

Chhath Puja is celebrated twice a year, once in March-April (Chaitra month) and again in October-November (Kartik month). The more prominent celebration takes place the sixth day of the lunar month of Kartika in the Hindu calendar (Vikram Samvat), which is why it is also called 'Surya Shashti Vrata'. The festival is a four-day event dedicated to worshipping the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya (the Sun's sister)

 

Rituals are performed over three nights and four days and include a holy bath, strict fasting, including a 36-hour fast without water, vrat (devotional ritual), standing in water, and offering prasad (food offering) and arghya (water offering) at sunrise and sunset. Some devotees also perform a prostration march along the river bank. All devotees prepare the same offerings and prasad.

 

According to legend, the Suryavanshi king Priyavrat and his wife Malini were childless, which caused them great grief. After a yagna performed under the guidance of Maharishi Kashyap, the queen became pregnant, but the baby was stillborn. King Priyavrat was going to the crematorium with the intention of committing suicide when Goddess Shashthi, the divine daughter of the Lord, appeared. The goddess told the king that she was Shashthi Devi and that worshipping her would lead to the birth of a child. The king performed the rituals and was blessed with a beautiful son. This incident marked the beginning of the tradition of celebrating Chhath Puja.

 

It is believed that after the conquest of Lanka, Mother Sita also observed this fast for the well-being of children after Lord Rama's coronation, thus initiating this tradition. During the Mahabharata period, Draupadi observed the Chhath fast for the well-being of the Pandavas, and her wishes were fulfilled.

 

According to another legend, Chhath Puja was initiated by Karna, the son of Surya, who was a great devotee of Suryadev and would stand in water and offer him water every day. According to religious beliefs, Chhathi Maiya (Goddess Shashthi) is the sister of Lord Surya, and Chhath Puja is performed in her honor. This festival is celebrated with the wish of happiness, prosperity, health and peace.

 

Nahaay khaay (day 1): On the first day of Chhath Puja, the devotee thoroughly clean the entire house and its surroundings. After that take a holly bath devotee usually cook sattvik bottle gourd, bengal gram lentil with Arva rice), which is served in the afternoon to the deity as bhog. This initiates the festival. The food is then eaten by the devotee to protect the mind from thoughts of vengeance. It is the devotee's last meal during the festival.

 

Kharna (day 2)

The second day of Chhath Puja is Kharna, where devotees fast all day and break it after sunset with an offering to the deities. In the evening, devotee usually cook kheer made of jaggery, called rasiaav and roti. Prasad is offered to Chhati Mata and shared with relatives and friends.

 

Sandhya Arghya (day 3)

This day is spent by preparing the prasada at home, which often consist of thekua, Sweets and arrange seasonal fruits (mainly sugarcanes, sweet lime, coconut, banana, apple etc) offered in small bamboo baskets.

 

In the evening, the entire household accompanies the devotee to a riverbank, pond, or other large body of water to make the arghya offerings to the setting sun. Besides the devotees and their friends and family, other participants and onlookers help and receive the worshipper's blessings. When making arghya, Gangajal water is offered to Surya, and Chhathi Maiya is worshipped with the prasada.

 

After returning home, devotees perform the ritual of kosi bharai together with other family members and sing Chhath songs in the night. The same ritual is repeated the next morning between 3-4am.

 

Sandhya Arghya (day 4)

At dawn on the last day of Chhath Puja, worshippers travel to the riverbank again to offer arghya to the rising sun. After making this holy offering, parents pray to Chhatti Maiya for their child's protection as well as the happiness and peace of their whole family. After worship, followers participate in the Paran or Parana rite, completion of their fast with a small amount of prasada and water. This rite emphasises the connection between family well-being and divine favours, serving as a symbol of thanksgiving and spiritual closure.