Devotees began the festive celebrations of Chhath Puja with puja rituals and a sacred dip in the Ganga at Patliputra Ghat in Patna on the first day, known as ‘Nahaye Khaye.’ The grand festival of ‘lokastha’ (folk faith) the ‘Chhath Puja’ began on November 5, and will continue for four days.
Thousands of devotees thronged the Patliputra Ghat situated at Digha in Patna. The devotees took a holy bath and offered ‘aradh’ water offering to the Sun god. The devotees spoke to media about the festival and said that the first day of the festival ‘Nahaye Khaye’ has kickstarted the Chhath Puja celebrations.
“We have arrived here at the ghat to take a bath in the holy water of River Ganga. After taking the bath we will take the sacred ‘Ganga Jal’ and prepare prasad. Today we prepare arwa rice, chana dal, pumpkin vegetable and pakodas as prasad,” said the devotees.
A devotee who arrived at the ghat in Patna from Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur said, “We have come all the way to Patna from Jamshedpur only to perform Chhath Puja. We eagerly wait for this day and have been performing Chhath Puja for the last three years. My entire family performs puja rituals and does not ask for wishes but only seeks blessings from the Chhatti Maiya.
The four-day Chhath puja began on November 5, with Nahay Khay on Day 1 of the festivities. Nahay Khay, which falls on the Chaturthi Tithi of Kartik Shukla Paksha, is all about cleansing, and prepping for the festival. Nahay Khay is followed by Kharna on Panchami Tithi on day 2, Chhath Puja on Sashti, and concludes with Usha Arghya on Saptami Tithi.
The festivities will conclude on November 8.
Chhath Puja is celebrated in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. Devotees across these states and also those in the national capital were seen performing puja rituals on Tuesday morning at Yamuna and Ganga ghats.
Chhath Puja is one of the most significant festivals, involving strict rituals and fasting to express gratitude to the Sun God for sustaining life on Earth. Visuals from Delhi’s Kalindi Kunj Chhath Ghat showed devotees performing cleansing and puja rituals on November 5 morning.
The festival has a special place in every Bihari and Jharkhandi’s heart as it brings families together to pay homage to Surya Dev (Sun God) and Chhathi Maiya. Speaking to media, a devotee performing puja at Kalindi Kunj Ghat said, “After taking a holy dip in the ghat and performing puja rituals, we prepare simple food—‘ghiya sabzi’ (bottle guard) and ‘aloo gobi sabzi’ along with chana dal.”
“Tomorrow is Lohanda when we prepare sweet dishes, other foods with rock salt, rice and paranthas with ghee. The day after tomorrow November 7 is when we fast since morning for 24 hours. In the evening we will perform puja after giving ‘aradh.’ We will open the fast after giving the ‘Argh’ again on November 8,” she added.
Another devotee, Saraswati Devi Kesari said, “Today we came here and took a dip in River Yamuna. We will prepare and eat simple food today, and tomorrow we will observe fast for the whole day. In the evening we will break the fast and eat after doing all the puja rituals.”
The devotees performed puja and were seen smearing each other’s foreheads with red tilak.
“Today we are celebrating ‘Nahay Khay.’ Chana dal and bottle guard sabzi are what we eat today. Tomorrow we will observe fast, and then the day after tomorrow we will observe Chhath Puja with all puja rituals,” another devotee, Archana told media.
Earlier on November 4, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi reviewed the preparations for Chhath Puja at ITO ghat and said that at more than 1,000 locations Chhath ghats are being prepared. Earlier, Atishi declared a public holiday on November 7 for Chhath Puja, calling it an “important festival” for the residents of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.
Indian Railways earlier announced special train services across the country to ensure safe travel for passengers going to their hometowns for Chhath Puja.
Indian Railways will be operating serval special trains to facilitate travellers during Chhath Puja festival from stations like Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Jammu Tawi, Amritsar and Ludhiana, said Ferozepur DCM Payal on November 4.
This festival witnesses a high participation rate of women, is marked with fanfare, and is also regarded as an occasion to take a break from household chores and be refreshed. It is primarily celebrated in Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Nepal, as well as by the diaspora from these regions.
