Many states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and some regions of Nepal, celebrate Chhath Puja with great fanfare and magnificence.
Chhath Puja 2023 starts on 17 November and ends on 20 November this year. It is the festival of happiness and joy which is dedicated to the Lord Surya Dev. Devotees hold fast and offer prayers to the solar god and thank him for providing longevity, wealth and prosperity. This festival is particularly celebrated in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
During this auspicious festival, women hold a strict fast and offer prayers to Surya dev and Chhathi Maiya for the welfare, prosperity and advancement of their families. Giving arghya is an important ritual to follow during the Chhath puja festival. So, don’t forget to perform it on all four days of the festival.
Chhath Puja 4 Day-Long Festivities
- Nahaye Khaye: On the first day of chhath puja, devotees visit the riverside Ganga to take a sacrad bath. They also filled bottles with the holy water of Ganga and brought it to their home. It is believed that is considered auspicious to cook their meal from that sacrad water. On this day, devotees may eat once but has to be a satvik meal. Cleaning the house is a mandatory rule to follow during any festival. You can enjoy your first day of chhath puja while following all essential rituals.
- Lohanda and Kharna: On the second day of chhath puja, devotees hold fast throughout the day and break after sunset. On this day, markets are filled with crowds to buy essentials for Rasiao Kheer including jaggery, arwa chawal and fruits. It is a kheer made up of jaggery offered as prasad and distributed among family members. On this day, devotees can only break their fast after they offer prasad or arghya to lord Surya. According to Hindu beliefs, the person who is holding the fast should cook the whole prasad and serve it as a bhog to Surya Dev.
- Sandhya Arghya: On the third day of chhath puja, devotees visit the banks of the river with their families and worship the god Sun. People also listen to folk songs and offer Sandhya Arghya. On this auspicious day, women stand on the water, where their waist is completely dipped on that water during sunset while offering argahya to the setting sun.
- Usha Arghya: On the last day of chhath puja, devotees gather with their families at the riverbank and wait till sunrise. Then they go into the river and offer Usha arghya to the Lord Sun. After giving arghya, devotees took blessings from their elders at the ghat and distributed prasad to everyone. Upon their return from the ghat, devotees consume ginger and water to break their 36-hour-long fast.