🌞 Chhath Puja: Bihar’s Sacred Salutation to the Sun

In the heart of Bihar, where tradition meets divinity, Chhath Puja stands tall as one of the most sacred, disciplined, and environmentally harmonious festivals. Celebrated across the plains of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand—and by the global Bihari diaspora—Chhath is not just a festival, but a deeply spiritual practice of devotion, purity, and gratitude to the Sun God (Surya) and Chhathi Maiya.

🌅 The Origins: Where Mythology Meets Devotion

Chhath Puja traces its roots to ancient Vedic times when sages would perform sun worship to gain energy and longevity. It is also deeply associated with epic figures like Lord Rama and Karna:

• In the Ramayana, it is believed that Mata Sita observed Chhath rituals after returning from exile to Ayodhya.

• In the Mahabharata, Karna, the son of Surya and Kunti, was a devout sun worshipper. His regular offerings and prayers to Surya formed the basis of the rituals we now associate with Chhath.

Unlike other Hindu festivals dominated by idol worship, Chhath emphasizes worship of natural elements—the rising and setting sun, clean water bodies, and earthen offerings—symbolizing harmony between human beings and nature.

🛕 Why Is Chhath Celebrated?

✨ Purpose of the Festival:

1. To express gratitude to Surya Dev (Sun God) for sustaining life on Earth.

2. To seek blessings for health, prosperity, and well-being of family members, especially children.

3. To purify the soul through disciplined fasting, abstinence, and environmental harmony.

4. To honor Chhathi Maiya, the goddess believed to protect children and grant wishes to devotees.

Chhath Puja is considered one of the most rigorous Hindu fasts, involving complete abstinence from food and even water for over 36 hours, accompanied by strict cleanliness and mental discipline.

📅 When Is Chhath Celebrated?

Chhath Puja occurs six days after Diwali, during the Shukla Paksha (waxing moon) of Kartik month (October–November).
There is also a lesser-known Chaiti Chhath celebrated in the Chaitra month (March–April), but Kartik Chhath is the more widely observed one.

🕉️ The Four-Day Rituals of Chhath Puja

Chhath Puja spans four days, each steeped in symbolic meaning and preparation.

🧽 Day 1: Nahay Khay (Bath and Eat)

• What happens?
  Devotees (primarily women, called Parvaitin) take a holy dip in a river or pond and clean the entire house, especially the kitchen.

• Food:
  A simple meal is cooked using rock salt, gourd (lauki), and chana dal, often in bronze utensils, on wood or cow dung-fueled stoves.

• Significance:
  This day marks cleansing of body and soul, as devotees begin the purification process.

🌿 Day 2: Kharna (Fasting and Evening Offering)

• What happens?
  A strict fast without water is observed the entire day. In the evening, devotees break the fast after offering kheer (made from jaggery and rice), roti made of wheat flour, and banana to the gods.

• Post Kharna:
  A 36-hour waterless fast (nirjala vrat) begins.

• Significance:
  It symbolizes the transition into complete devotion and physical discipline.

🌇 Day 3: Sandhya Arghya (Offering to the Setting Sun)

• Preparation:
  Families prepare soop (bamboo baskets) filled with seasonal fruits, sugarcane, coconut, thekua (a wheat-jaggery sweet), and rice-based delicacies.

• Evening Arghya:
  As the sun begins to set, thousands gather near rivers, ponds, and ghats wearing traditional attire. Devotees stand in water and offer arghya (water and offerings) while folk songs like "Uga Ho Suruj Dev" echo through the air.

• Significance:
  Surya is the only visible god. Offering to the setting sun reflects gratitude for the day gone by, acknowledging both light and darkness in life.

🌄 Day 4: Usha Arghya (Offering to the Rising Sun)

• Early Morning Ritual:
  Devotees return to the ghats before sunrise. Standing in the same waters, they offer final prayers to the rising sun, often with extended families participating.

• Breaking the Fast:
  After Usha Arghya, the devotees break their 36-hour fast by consuming ginger, sugar, and water (paran), surrounded by family.

• Significance:
  This symbolizes renewal, hope, and divine blessings. It is one of the most emotionally powerful moments of the festival.

🎶 Cultural Essence of Chhath

Chhath Puja is not just a ritual—it’s a cultural celebration of resilience, nature, and family bonding.

🎤 Folk Songs & Traditions:

• Women sing traditional Chhath geet in Bhojpuri, Maithili, and Magahi dialects.

• Songs narrate myths of Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya, motherhood, nature, and devotion.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Community Participation:

• Chhath is not limited to individual families. Entire neighborhoods clean ghats, decorate paths with banana trees and sugarcane, and offer community prayers.

• Non-participating families also serve water, arrange lights, or help with logistics, showing the deep social bonding embedded in this festival.

🌿 Environmental Harmony

Chhath Puja promotes eco-awareness through:

• Use of biodegradable materials like bamboo baskets and clay lamps

• Rituals that involve cleaning rivers and ponds

• Offerings made only with seasonal, organic produce

• Encouraging vegetarian food and holistic living

In recent years, campaigns have emerged to keep Chhath ghats clean and plastic-free, aligning spirituality with sustainability.

🛕 Modern Observance & Global Reach

As Bihari communities have migrated globally, Chhath Puja is now celebrated in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, London, New York, and Dubai.

• Artificial water tanks, rooftop ghats, and digital bhajans have enabled people to maintain rituals even far from the Ganges.

• Yet, the discipline, humility, and authenticity remain intact, no matter where it’s performed.

🌸 Conclusion: A Festival Beyond Rituals

Chhath Puja is more than a prayer to the sun—it’s a festival of inner light.
It teaches discipline, balance, gratitude, and harmony with nature. From the purity of intention to the grace of its rituals, every step of Chhath is rooted in the values Bihar cherishes: faith, family, and simplicity.

As the sun rises on the final day and the chants echo across rivers and rooftops, Bihar doesn't just offer prayers — it offers a reminder: in light, we live.