Why Chhath Puja is Celebrated

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What is Chhath Puja

So some of you may have heard about Chhath Puja some may have not. What is chhath puja? So, Chhath Puja is a Vedic festival that is celebrated in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and some parts of Nepal. But with migration now it is celebrated Chhath puja in the Northern part of India.

Why Chhath Puja is Celebrated?

Chhath Puja is dedicated to God Sun and Chhathi Maiya (who we know as Sun god sister) and God Surya two main sources of power Usha and Pratyusha. It is often refer to as Maha Parv (biggest festival) as compare to the rest of the festivals which we Hindu Celebrate this calls in for a lot more traditions. And lot more of do’s and dont’s and is a very strict festival with devotees fasting without water for more than 36 hours.

There are 2 main legends associated with Chhath puja.

The first story about chhath puja in english

As we all know that Diwali is celebrated because that day God Ram and Goddess Sita returned to Ayodhya and people lit up diyas and celebrated Diwali. Six days after Diwali, Ram Rajya is established. God Ram and Goddess Sita fasted and prayed to Surya for health, wealth, and prosperity for the people of Ayodhya and their families. God Surya blessed the couple with 2 children Luv and Kush.

The second story Why Chhath Puja is Celebrated

is related to Mahabharata it is said that Draupadi/Kunti along with Pandavas after they escaped from Lakshagrih.

Devotees pray to Sun God in all his glory for their family health wealth and prosperity.

happy chhath puja

When is Chhath Puja celebrated?

Chhath Puja is usually celebrated 6 days after Diwali. As per Hindu Calendar, it is celebrated on Karthik Shukla Shastri (6th Day). “Chhath” itself is to 2 words Chat-Means 6 and hath means austerity or strictness. This festival is 4 days long and this year in 2020 it starts on 18th November and finished on 21st November 2020.

Chhath Parv is celebrated twice a year one is the Karthik Chhath puja which is more popular and the other one is Chaitrya Chhath Puja which is usually after Holi.

How to celebrate chhath puja and its various days

18th November- Nahye Khaye-

Literally means bathing and eating this is the day when the devotees or worshippers clean up the house and prepare for the festivals. Earlier they use to take a dip in holy water like that of the Ganges or any river now they take a shower at home. And they adorn clean washed clothes and cook a meal for themselves which is usually kaddu (pumpkin), chawal (rice) and chana ka dal (gram lentil) on wooden fire and in earthen pots. The meal is very simple but somehow very delicious and this is also the Prasad of the day.

19th November – Kharna-

This day worshippers fast the entire day and make Prasad for the evening again on a wooden fire. Usually, it’s roti with ghee and kheer (rice pudding). The devotees break their fast by doing Pooja and devoting this Prasad to the god and goddess and then have this Prasad drink water and that’s done for the day. Usually, this a day when a lot of people visit the devotee’s house to have the Prasad.

20th November- Sandhya Araghya-

The main day of Chhath Puja is the 3rd day. The family along with worshippers make Prasad the entire day. The main Prasad is thekua ( a type of cookies made of whole wheat flour jaggery and ghee). This puja happens on ghat( on the bank of the river). One important thing is that the Prasad is put on sup (kinda bamboo basket).

There are a variety of fruits, sugarcane, and some other things liked diyas essence sticks, etc, and thekua. They are usually in pairs. Once all the Prasad has arranged devotees along with family members visit the river bank. The devotee usually wears yellow color clothes. And they take a dip in holy water and stand there praying to lord sun and chanting Vedic hymn. Then there is a process of araghya which is basically devoting water to god sun. The family member participates in this ritual.

sandhya arghya chhath puja

Once all the Prasad is dedicated to God Sun and araghya are complete, the devotee comes out of water changes and pack up the puja items at the ghat. The devotee fasts this day without any water. And they will open the fast only after the next day morning ghat puja.

The devotee sleep on the floor this night. And prepare for the next day morning aragya.

21st November- Usha Araghya–

The devotee gets up in the morning before sunrise and bathe. Then they proceed to ghat for Pooja. Puja preparation has to be done before Sunrise. A couple of minutes before sunrise the devotee step into the river and take a dip in holy waters and with folded hands chanting Vedic hymn wait for the sun to rise. Once the first ray of the sun hits the earth the ghat puja process starts in a similar way as that in the evening. The araghya is the most important ritual of the Pooja once the araghya is finished devotee step out of the water and change into dry clothes and perform a small havan marking the end of Mahaparv Chahth puja.

By this time the devotees have fasted for more than 36 hours without having water. Probably this is the reason this festival is called Mahaparv. And the most difficult festival of all. It really pushes our body and tests our faith and personally I have huge respect for people who do this festival I guess the faith and devotion towards Sun god just never let them feel the hunger and the thirst.

Scientifically also Chhath Puja is one of the most eco-friendly pujas with minimum impact on the environment. Also, it is a well-known fact that the UV rays of the sun are at a minimum during sunrise and sunset and that has healing properties and good for the body as it creates Vitamin D.

So, above were a brief of the 4 days of Chhath Puja.

Let’s look at the way chhath ghat puja happens in a traditional way?

How to celebrate Chhath Puja? How to do chhath puja?

So one Day 3 of Chhath puja family members along with devotee go to ghat (river banks). On this day, there is so much rush the place for pooja is assign. Firstly they make a home structure using sugarcanes usually 4-5 sugarcanes are use in this.

Next, a big Diya is lighted inside the structure and tenth devotees arrange the sup (bamboo baskets) for puja and also use Sindoor and all for tika. Post this just before sunset the devotees take a dip in holy water and with folded hands and a lot of emotion and devotion pray to Sun God. They stand in the water holding the sup till the time the sun doesn’t set and araghya is not complete. This all needs to finish before sunset. Then the devotee comes out of the cold water and changes into dry clothes and other than the sugar can structure and Diya packs everything and prepare for the next day araghya.

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chhath puja celebration

The next day again they light a fresh Diya and just before sunrise takes a dip in the river and stands with folded hands and pray to Sun God and start with morning araghya. Once the araghya is done, then they change in dry clothes. And at the end, a small havan is done using cow dung cakes. The devotee after this takes a sip of water to break their fast and take the Prasad as the first thing after 36 hours. If you are looking to buy Chhath Puja Samgrih click here.

A major part of Chhath parv is the music. The festival of Chhath has its own music and yes it creates a very energetic and devotional atmosphere for anyone attending the festival. Since the festival is a tradition of Bihar & UP most of the songs are in Bhojpuri but you will understand it. It is very sweet to listen to.

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Some of the most sought out songs for Chhath Puja are as below:

Uga He Suraj Dev

Kelwa key path per

Pehlia pehli Chathi Maiya

Patna key ghat per nariyal

Uthau suraj bhail bihan

Chhath puja story – Once upon a time there was a king called Priyawan and his beautiful queen Malini. They did not have any children and for that, they used to pray day and night. Maharishi Kashyap saw the king and queen and decided to do a havan and gave Queen Malini the Prasad of Kheer ( Rice pudding). Because of these rituals, the queen got pregnant. After 9 months the baby was born but he was dead already. Both the king and the queen could not take the pain and the king decided to end his life.

Just before he was to take his life a beautiful goddess came to him and introduced herself as Shasthi. She said that you do my puja and I will bless you with a child. The king and queen prayed to her with all the devotion and the way the goddess had told them to do Puja. And soon the queen delivered a baby boy. This is the chhath vrat Katha.

how to do chhath puja

Interesting facts about Chhat Puja in English

Dala Chat legend says that it has the power to heal any kind of skin problem that can be cured because of this puja. Legend has it and as per Markhandpuran that Shri Krishna’s son Sambh had a skin problem and he prayed to Sun god to finish his disease. So, it is says that people who do chhath puja will never be infected with any kind of skin disease.

The person doing Chhath puja stays without food and water for 36 hours. During this time they don’t wear any slipper and sleep on the floor.

Traditionally women were the main devotees to do this festival but now men can also be seen fasting and performing the rituals

Since the rituals are difficult to follow, so this festival is also know as Mahaparv

The festival of chhath is clearly mention in Bhavishya Puran and Mahabharata. This is the only festival where the devotee prays to Sun God to bless them with a girl child

As stated earlier chhath puja is a very eco-friendly puja the Prasad also consists of lemons, fruits, sugarcane, whole wheat goodies like thekua, and sathi(a type of grain). Bamboo baskets is use in this festival, and even the home-like structure is usually make up of sugarcanes.

In some places, it’s a tradition to make an elephant out of the mud and pray in the night.

The purpose of this festival is to feel closer to the sun god. The significance of pouring water to the sun means that you are devoting yourself to Sun God. Along with water milk is also mix and dedicate to Sun God because Milk is a sign of purity. So dedicating milk and water to the Sun god shows that we are pure at heart and in the soul.

Chhath Puja gift

Any festivals call for gifting however for Chhath Puja traditionally there is no gifting. However, it is still the Chhath festival gifts are always welcome.

Money/Cash–

cash in hand

Many times some people give cash or money as their contribution towards chhath puja. And a lot of people give money for sup and related Prasad items.

Amazon Gift Cards-

amazon gift cards image

one of the best chhath puja gift is an amazon gift card. This is the time when amazon provides some great offers on all kinds of products. so I think this is the best chhath puja gift for your loved one.

Fancy Diya & Dipak–

diya

Chhath Puja is also a good time to gift diyas and dipaks. Diyas in Chhath Parv is a must, so it will be a useful gift for this puja

Home Decor Items–

There are so many gifts in home decoration items right from showpieces to pictures in frames to fancy lamp shades. Take your pick on these. While gifting picture frames do take care of Vastu compliance. Some people do follow that strictly.

Personal Grooming Products–

personal grooming products

Personal grooming product is always in demand by both men and women. You can create a grooming hamper for men with shaving kits, body products, beard oil, etc. For women, order grooming hampers with some natural oils, spa kits, some hair care products, etc.

Dry Fruits

dry fruits in the basket

The last item on my list will be Dry Fruits. Gift some dry fruits this Chhath to your loved ones. Dry fruits contain essential proteins that are healthy fats. Some of them are low on sugars so are healthy for all kind of people from kids to adults. You can buy combos or hampers available online that give you a variety of options to choose from.

This is why we celebrate chhath puja. I have tried sharing my knowledge of Chhath Puja celebrations because I have been lucky to be a part of this festival. So in this comprehensive article, I have tried to cover all the aspects of Chhath Puja right from Chhath puja stories to Vidhi for chhath puja along with various days and events related to various events.

I have also included popular songs attached to this festival. If you ever get a chance to see this festival do see and participate. Some times it so happens that ghat even if you won’t know the people around us they will come and share prasad with us. And people readily accept the prashad. So much love and care is there for this festival. I hope you enjoy reading about Chhath Puja. This is all about why we celebrate chhath puja. essay on chhath puja in english

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