One the first day of the festival, the worshiper cooks a traditional vegetarian meal and offers it to the Sun God. Also, the devotees dread the punishment for any misdeed during Chhatt. There are beautiful folk songs sung for Chhatt. On the second day called ‘Kharna,’ the devotees observe 8-12 hours of anhydrous fast and end their ‘vrat’ in the evening after performing puja with the ‘prasad’ offered to Surya. More than festivities, festival of Chhat Puja in Delhi involves a sacrifice on the part of the devotee, which leads to his purification. Change ), Country profile: United States of America. The festival is especially significant for married women who observe a two-day fast and offer prayers standing waist-deep in water for at least two hours and offer fruits and flowers to Surya, the Sun God. Devotees during this period observe purity and live frugally. The sun temples in Aurangabad and Baragaon near Nalanda, actively celebrate Chhatt. The minor nuances of the Chhath rituals, such as in the Kharna ritual, vary from region to region, and also across families, but still there is a fundamental similarity. Subhamoy Das is the co-author of "Applied Hinduism: Ancient Wisdom for Today's World." This festival is also celebrated in the northeast region of India, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and some parts of Chhattisgarh. From that time onwards, devotees start flooding the river with offerings to the Sun God. Outside of India, Chhath is mainly celebrated by the Bhojpuri and Maithili speaking community apart from the Nepalese Hindus. Learn Religions uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Agni(fire god)is worshipped. In the ancient epic Mahabharata, references to worshipping of the sun by Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas, are found. Serious devotees maintain a strict anhydrous fast of three days. Recently a few well known singers have tried to recreate the folk songs. Friends and family are invited to the household on this day to share the prashad of the ritual. Chhath is a festival of worshipping both the setting sun as well as the rising sun. Chhath Puja, also known as Chhath Parva or Dala Chhath or Surya Shasthi is celebrated six to seven days after Diwali. Watercolour drawing showing theChhath festival being celebrated on the banks of the Ganges at Patna, by an anonymous artist working in the Patna style, c.1795-1800. This day is called Naha-Kha (literally, ‘Bathe and eat’!). The word ‘Chhath’ has its origin in ‘sixth’ as it is celebrated on the 6th day or ‘Shasthi’ of the lunar fortnight of Kartik (October - November) in the Hindu calendar – six days after Diwali, the festival of lights. Songs for Chhath festival sung by Padma Shri Bihar Kokila Sharda Sinha are very popular. Even the vessels used are mostly earthen and people sleep on the floor. This is followed by the ‘Kosi’ ritual in homes. Besides the main worshiper, there are friends and family, and numerous participants and onlookers, all willing to help and receive the blessings of the worshipper. The evening of the next day, the entire household accompanies the worshiper to a ritual bathing and worship of the Sun God, usually on the bank of a river or a common large water body. Traditional music is also an integral part of this festival. The ghats or riverbanks throng with devotees as they come to complete their ritual worship or ‘arghya’ of the sun – both at dawn and dusk. The first day of Chhath is called ‘Nahai Khai,’ which literally means ‘bath and eat’ when devotees bathe in the river, preferably a holy one such as the Ganga and bring home the water to cook food offerings for the Sun God. Ritual rendition of regional folk songs, carried on through oral transmission from mothers and mothers-in-law to daughters and daughters-in-law, are sung on this occasion. Not many people know this but Chhath Puja is one of the oldest festivals of India with ancient Indian evidence pointing to it being so. Seeking a quick solution, Draupadi approached Saint Dhaumya, who advised her to worship Surya and observe the rituals of the Chhath for prosperity and abundance. The evidences however are very generic and its mostly faith based. Patna: Large numbers of people thronged the banks of the Ganga for the annual festival of “Chhat Puja” or worship of sun god, which came to an end in Bihar on Friday. This is a ritual bathing festival that follows a period of abstinence and ritual segregation of the worshiper from the main household for four days. ( Log Out /  Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Once the morning ritual is over, devotees break their fast by taking a bite of ginger with sugar. People go to bathing ghats on river banks and pay obeisance to both the rising and the setting sun during the festival which is celebrated on the sixth and seventh days from Diwali. Chhath being mainly a Bihari festival, wherever people from Bihar have migrated, they have taken with them the tradition of Chhath. The devotees break their fast and the prasad is shared with all the people around. If unable to perform the puja themselves for personal reasons, it is recommended that one should assist some one else who is performing the puja by providing funds or the prasad instead of completely missing the puja. This day is marked by the elaborate evening ritual called the ‘Sandhya Arghya’ or ‘evening offering.’ The offerings are served to the setting sun on bamboo trays that has ‘Thekua,’ coconut, and banana among other fruits. The devotees along with their family and friends congregate on the bank of the river to offer ‘arghyas’ to the rising sun. On the final day of the festivities the devotees, family and friends go to the riverbank. The polluted waters of modern times may not offer significant benefits. ( Log Out /  Some say that the puja was first captured by Sita, Rama’s wife. For Chath celebrations in New Delhi, several ghats (embankments) are reserved at the river Yamuna in the city. Here’s another popular mantra, which is also uttered while performing the ‘Surya Namaskar’ yoga: “Let’s chant the glories of Surya, whose beauty rivals that of a flower / I bow down to Him, the radiant son of Saint Kashyapa, the enemy of darkness and destroyer of every sin.”. On the second day, a special ritual, called Kharna, is performed in the evening after Sun down. Taking dips in water and exposing oneself to the Sun increases the flow of solar bio-electricity that improves the overall functionality of the human body. A group of citizens, including retired judges, lawyers, and bureaucrats, has slammed those criticizing the Supreme Court order holding senior lawyer... India has been having to work really hard to improve its relationship with neighbors as India China border stand-off continues. Chhatt is a very joyous and colorful festival. Devotional folk songs are sung both at home and on the riverbank. The three main linguistic regions of Bihar: the Maithili, the Magadhi, and the Bhojpuri, and all the various dialects associated with these, have different folk songs; but all dedicated to Chhath, they have an underlying unity. In India, the monsoon is seen as a season of rejoicing, giving relief from the scorching heat. Many believe that it dates all the way back to Hindu epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Chhath is mainly characterized by riverside rituals in which the Sun God or Surya is worshiped, giving it the name of ‘Suryasasthi.’ It underpins the ever so scientific belief that the Sun God fulfills every wish of earthlings and so it’s our duty to thank the sun with a special prayer for making our planet go round and bestowing living beings with the gift of life. It is the most auspicious festival in the state of Bihar. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. From this day onwards, for the next 36 hours, the worshiper goes on a fast without water. The puja takes place at these ghats only. Chhath Puja also called Dala Puja is a Hindu festival popular in the Northern and Eastern Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand and even Nepal. Chhatt is celebrated as thanks to the Sun for providing the necessities of life on earth, and also for fulfilling particular wishes. The festival of Chhath begins a week after Diwali. The large numbers of devouts created a nightmare for the local officials who regulated movement of devouts along the river bank as a precautionary step to avoid any untoward incident. Is Ram Setu a Man-Made Structure and Proof that Ramayana is Real History? The food is strictly vegetarian and it is cooked without salt, onions or garlic. Origins of the Chhath Puja. It is commonly believed that the wishes of the devotees are always granted. Devotees follow certain rituals on all four days as each day has a significant custom attached to it. The prasad includes sweets and fruit kept in small baskets made of bamboo. They usually can perform Chhath only if it is passed on to them from their older generation. Chhatt Puja is celebrated in certain states in North India namely Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Bihar. Said to be a descendant of the Sun god, some say Lord Rama has a lot to do with the inception of Chhath Puja. Chhath Puja is an age-old Hindu festival which is dedicated to Lord Surya (Sun God) and Chhathi Maiya, who is known to be the sister of Lord Surya. In... Tesla is a David and Goliath story for the Industrial Age. The festival is also popularly known as “Dala Chhath, where “data” signifies a basket usually made of bamboo. It assumes a joyous and colorful form as people dress up in their best clothes and gather by rivers and other water bodies to celebrate Chhath. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Millions of people celebrate this festival with utmost dedication and is also counted among one of the most important festivals for people in the native regions of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and some places in Nepal. Chhath or Dala Chhath is a Hindu festival, unique to Bihar state, India and Terai, Nepal. In 1995, at least 78 people had died when one such boat capsized during the festival. The rituals of the festival are very rigorous and are observed over a period of four days. There are several stories about the origin of Chhath Puja. Devotees take a dip, in freshwater lake , pond or river like Kosi river, Karnali and Ganga, and carry home the holy water to prepare the offerings. Chhath Puja, the festival dedicated to the Sun God for supporting life on earth and ensuring prosperity and happiness in life, is being celebrated in several states, especially in Bihar today During this period, the worshiper observes ritual purity, and sleeps on the floor on a single blanket. However, once they decide to do it, it becomes their duty to perform it every year, the festival being skipped only if there happens to be a death in the family that year. This marks the end of the rituals as joyous celebrations ensue. Nowadays, modern Chhath songs, largely Bollywood filmy remixes have caught on, but the old tradition still goes strong with a great degree of sanctity. All the people dress up in their best clothes. Once during the long exile from their kingdom, thousands of wandering hermits visited their hut.