Chaath

We offer you our offerings O Sun God,

and Chhathi Maiya (Mother Shashti or Usha).

 One who does this puja,

gets long life,health,good eye sight,

And all their wishes get fulfilled!

You are the source of our happiness ,

our prosperity comes from you,

You are the source of all the life force,

and development in all living beings.

 We bow to thee,

please accept our offerings,

and give us your blessings,

O Giver of Life!

 

This festival is dedicated to Sun and Chhathi Maiya (Mother Shashti or Usha). The devotee offer their gratitude to the Sun God Surya along with the Goddesses- Usha (first rays of the morning) and Pratyusha (last rays of the evening) because it is believed that the Sun is the primal source of energy that sustains all lives on the Earth.

 This festival is unique to the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and the country of Nepal.Now a days it has spread to the other parts of India and even outside India, celebrated mostly by Bihar residents residing there. It is the only festival that is dedicated to Lord Surya, who is supposed to be the source of all powers. The God of light, life force and energy is worshipped in order to promote well-being, development and the prosperity of human beings. Devotees express their gratitude towards Lord Surya and perform important rituals over a for a span of four days. People who observe the fast during this festival are called Vrati.

It is four days festival which is celebrated with rigorous and strict manners of preparation. So, during the period the devotee (those who practice) live separately from the rest of the family for maintaining chastity as well as for purity. The prasad and food (for devotees) is cooked without salt, onions or garlic which is accomplished and accompanied by four days of preparation.

The devotees takes bath from holy water of Ganga and surroundings of house purified with Ganga Jal (Water). They take only one time meal i.e. Kaddu-bhat which is cooked in the bronze or mud utensils by using mango wood fire over mud stove.

The devotees hold fast for the whole day and break their fast only after worshipping of the sun God in the evening with Rasiao-kheer, puris and fruits. After fast breaking they again go for fast without water for the next 36 hours.

The devotees offer Santhya Arghya at the riverside (bank of river) then after they wear turmeric colour sarees. In the night of this day, the devotee celebrate the vibrant event of filling Kosi (Kosia Bharai) by lighting clay diyas under the five sugarcane stick with folk song of Chhathi Maiya. This sugarcane stick represents the Panchatattva (Earth, Air, water, fire and Space).

Then on the final day of Chhath Puja the devotees along with family and friends offer Bihaniya Aragh (Early Morning Offering) to the Sun God at the riverside (bank of river). And at last the devotees end their fast with Chhath Puja Prasad.

In both Nepali and Hindi languages, the word Chhath means six. And hence, this festival is celebrated on the sixth day of the month of Karthika. Therefore, the festival is named Chhath.

There are several legends that explain in detail the origin of this festival. It is believed that in ancient times, Draupadi and the Pandavas of Hastinapur used to celebrate Chhath in order to solve their issues and gain their lost kingdom again. A few mantras from the Rig Veda texts are chanted by worshippers while offering prayers to the Sun God.

According to another legend, Chhath Puja was first performed by Karna, who is considered to be the son of Lord Surya(Sun God). He ruled over the Anga Desh which is the modern-day Bhagalpur in Bihar, during the age of Mahabharata.

As per a legend, Chhath Puja is being performed from the Early Vedic Period. The legend has it that the sages of that era used to perform the puja by exposing themselves to direct sunlight to gain energy from the rays of the Sun and did not consume any eatables.

Chhath puja is an important festival and is celebrated with a lot of dedication by the devotees.Culturally, the essential feature of this tradition or festival is its simplicity,love of nature and purification of the mind and body.There is a belief that the devotee who does Chhath puja keeping in view all the rituals , gets his desired wish fulfilled!