Chhath Puja Festival:-

 Date: November 10, 2021

Chhath Puja is held over the course of four days, and is marked by various rituals,

 including fasting, standing in water for long periods of time, and making offerings

 to the Sun. 'Chhath' is a combination of two different Hindi words- 'Chah', denoting

 six stages and 'Hath' signifying the science of austerity. Hence, Chhath is a festival

 in which the devotees obtain solar energy in six different stages.

Chhath is observed six days after the famous Hindu festival- 'Diwali'. It is one of the

 most popular festivals of Bihar. Moreover, it is also celebrated with enormous zeal

 in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Celebrated primarily in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and the

 Madhesh region of Nepal. Chhath is an ancient Vedic festival, historically native to

 the Indian subcontinent and Chhath Puja, which is central to the celebration of this

 festival is dedicated in honour of the solar deity, Surya and his sister Shashti Devi

 (Chhathi Maiya), in order to get their blessing and to thank them for bestowing all

 the fortunes of life. This is the only festival that is dedicated to Lord Surya, who is

 considered to be the source of all power.In Nepali and Hindi languages, Chhath

 means six, implying that this festival is celebrated on the sixth day in the month of

 Kartika. On this day, devotees offer prayers to the God of light, as he is considered

 the life force that binds the universe and gives energy to all living things. Devotees

 perform rituals and prayers that span over a period of 4 days. Fasting is the most

 significant part of the festival and the people who observe a fast on this day are

 referred to as ‘Vrati’. This year Chhath Puja is being celebrated on Friday,

 November 20.

History:-

Legend dictates that Chhath Puja has been performed since the Early Vedic Period

 and sages from this era used to perform the prayers by exposing themselves to

 direct sunlight to get energy and life force from the rays of the sun, after having

 maintained a fast. This ritual is still carried out by various people in their own

 prayers.

Note for Chhath Puja food:-

Even when breaking one's fast, one must follow a few rules. The food has to be

 vegetarian, with no salt, onion and garlic.

Traditional prasad is thekua, a biscuit made of wheat flour with butter, coconut and

 jaggery, Kheer, rice pudding, and laddoos made out of rice grit, and sugarcane,

 sweet lime and banana.

The prasad can only be prepared after the kitchen is purified and no one who hasn't

 had a bath is allowed in the kitchen. The one preparing prasad must not only have

 had a bath but also abstain from food and wearing stitched clothes.

Traditions of Chhath Puja:-

During the four days, devotees perform the Puja to thank the Sun god for providing life on earth and

 seek his blessings and protection. Each day has its own activities and rituals:

Chhath Puja begins with the day known as Nahay Khay. On this first day, devotees take a dip in water

 and women take a single meal.

On the second day, known as Kharna or Lohanda devotees fast from sunrise to the sunset. After

 worshipping the Sun and the Moon, they prepare offerings of kheer (a rice pudding), bananas and rice

 for their family. After eating the offering, they fast for 36 hours without water.

Day three is known as Sanjhiya Gha or Sandhya Arghya. On this day the fast is observed and devotees

 offer worship to the setting sun.

On Usha Argya, the last day, the fast is broken after morning offerings are made to the rising sun.

In the Hindu tradition, the rays of the sun at sunrise are very important and have healing properties and

 can cure disease to ensure the health of family, friends, and elders. Devotees will pray in the morning

 facing east so that the rays fall on their front.

To access the river to perform some of the pujas, steps down to the water called ghats are created. In

 Delhi alone, the number of ghats run into the hundreds, with over 500 ghats set up in 2018 - this shows

the popularity of this festival.