The Chhath Festival, also known as ‘Dala Chhath’, is sometimes referred as ‘Surya Shashti’ because the festival is dedicated to the Sun God Surya, thanking him for sustaining life on earth and requesting him to grant wishes for people who celebrate and worship him.
The festival is celebrated over a period of 4 days on Karthika Shukala Shashti, which is the sixth day of the month of Karthik, falling typically in the month of October or November as per the English calendar norms. But sometimes, the festival is also celebrated in the summer season (between March and April) on Chaitra Shashti , which is called as Chaiti Chhath.
Tourist Essential
The Chhath is a ritual bathing festival that involves a lot of arduous fasting and several religious ceremonies. The festival is very much popular amongst people from the states including, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Delhi, Mumbai, the northeast region of India and even sometimes also in Mauritius.
The states of Bihar and Jharkhand have several temples dedicated to the Sun God and serve as the best places for the ceremony to take place with fervour and reverence. The Chhath Festival takes place over 4 days, and involves the following rituals:
Day 1: Naha Kha ( Bathe and Eat) – The first day involves people taking a holy dip in the Ganges, taking a portion of the river’s water to make offerings, cleaning their house and taking only one meal for the day.
Day 2: Kharna – This is the day before the day of Chhath festival; the offerings are distributed after paying obeisance to the earth and people fast till sun set. This marks the date for the actual fast to begin, and it lasts for over 36 hours in duration.
Day 3: Chhath Sanjhiya Arghya – People prepare the offerings that need to be made after that day’s religious proceedings, which involves people coming to the river banks of the Ganges and chanting mantras in praise of the Sun God. At the same time, people observe the Kosi ritual, which involves setting afloat lit earthen lamps along the river.
Day 4: Parna – The devotees finally break their fast after offerings their prayers and distributing ‘Prasad’ to all and sundry gathered there at the banks of the Ganges.
Tourist Essential
You can get to know this popular and important festival practiced across the country. The festival acts as cleansing process and detoxifies the body, helping you to feel more energetic and healthy, besides giving the peace to the mind. You can also feast on the delicious offerings and sweets prepared for the ritual and connect with the entire community in general.
