Chhath Puja is being celebrated in different parts of the country with traditional fervour and devotion today. Devotees will offer prayers known as Sandhya-Arghya to the Sun this evening.
The four-day celebrations will culminate tomorrow morning with Pratah-Arghya to the rising Sun. Chhath is an ancient Hindu Vedic festival which is mainly celebrated in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh and the Madhesh region of Nepal. The Chhath Puja is dedicated to the God Surya and Shashthi Devi (Chhathi Maiya) in order to thank them for bestowing the bounties of life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes. Every year, lakhs of people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh observe Chhath in Delhi.
In his message, the President said that on Chhath Puja, there has been a tradition of people worshipping sun God and also offering reverence and gratitude to Mother Nature by veneration of rivers, ponds and other sources of water. He asked people to resolve to preserve nature and environment and celebrate the festival keeping in mind the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.
