One of the most prominent festivals of Bihar, Chhath Puja will be celebrated in November. The auspicious festival falls every year on the Shashti Tithi of Shukla Paksha of the month to worship the world-famous Sun God and wishing a happy life of children. This year Chhath Puja is on Friday, 20 November.
The 4 days holy festival of Chhath starts with Nahay-Khay from Wednesday, 18 November 2020. Apart from Bihar, Chhath puja is also observed in Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal as well as the Madhesh region of Nepal. Chhath puja is also called Chhathi, Chhath Parv, Dala, Chhath Dala Puja, and Surya Shashthi. During this festival women of the house observe fast and pray for the wellbeing of their children and family.
Chhath Puja begins from the Nahay-Khay. After bathing in the morning, the vrati women clean the grain for the puja material and dry it by covering it in the sun. The second day of Chhath puja is known as Kharna. On Kharna, devotees observe Vrat for a period of almost 8 to 12 hours. On the last day of the Chhath Puja, devotees visit the riverbank before the sun rises and make offerings to the sun. It marks the end of Paran, that is breaking the 36 hours fast. Then Prasad is shared with neighbors and relatives.
When it comes to any festival, what bring vibes to the celebrations are the songs. Chhath Puja songs are widely popular among the eastern states. The festival is incomplete without Thekua (deep-fried sweet dish made of flour and jaggery syrup) and Chhath Puja geet.
