Chhath Puja is basically celebrated in the North-Indian states of India. This festival is triumphed with great sovereignty and enthusiasm and is dedicated to Lord Surya-Sun God and Chhathi Maya ( Lord Sun’s Wife). Since a week, I have been listening to Chhath songs only due to our family and my faith, Culture/Society at large. Nowadays, it is celebrated across India and in many parts of the world like Mauritius, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, USA, Australia etc..
All the good memories flash in front of my eyes. For a Bihar, Jharkhand and UP Community, Chhath Puja More Than Just A Festival! No matter who we are, what are we doing, where we are; this is the festival that makes us leave everything and head towards our native village or built as a village environment in urban cities. No other festival has more importance than Chhath for us.
This festival is considered to be the most eco-friendly Hindu festival because all the things that are used in rituals are obtained naturally. All the rituals are performed on the banks of the rivers or other water bodies. Most items used in Chhath are close to nature. For example, the ‘daura’ and ‘soop’ used in rituals are bamboo products which are bio-degradable. with the same light, use of synthetic material is restricted which makes it eco-friendly, automatically.
Rituals Include: Holy bathing, Fasting and Abstaining from drinking water (Vrat), standing in water for long periods of time, offering Prasadam (prayer offerings) and Arghya (commodity offering) to the rising and setting sun. Also Surya, considered the god of energy and the life-force, is worshipped during the Chhath festival to endorse well-being, prosperity and progress. In Hinduism, Sun worship is supposed to cure a variety of diseases, including leprosy, besides ensuring the longevity and prosperity of family members, friends and elders.
Happy Chhath Puja!
