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Although Chhath festival is originally associated with Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and some areas of neighboring country Nepal, but with changing times, its picture is seen not only in India but in many parts of the world.
From the central government to many state governments make preparations for Chhath.
These days, a large crowd of people is being seen at the railway stations of Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and many other states. For Chhath, ghats are cleaned and new ghats are built in rivers, ponds etc. Temporary ponds are also constructed at many places.
Chhath festival is a festival of Sun worship and devotees believe that Chhathi Mai is pleased by worshiping the Sun on the day of Chhath.
How is Chhath celebrated?
(This story was originally published on October 17, 2022)
The first day of Chhath is celebrated as 'Nahay Khay' in which the fast is started by cleaning the house, then bathing and eating vegetarian food.
According to the Tourism Department of Bihar Government, Chhath Puja is a strict and spiritual fast lasting for four days. In these four days of Chhath Puja, a dip is taken in river, pond or water on the first day.
Houses are thoroughly cleaned on this day.
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On the second day, the fasting people eat food in the evening after fasting throughout the day. It is called Kharna.
The fast is broken late in the evening after the puja. Prasad offered on this day consists of rice pudding and fruits, which are distributed among family members and friends.
Chhath Prasad is made on the third day. Thekua (made from flour, jaggery, sugar and rice), rice laddus and fruits etc. are also included as offerings.
In the evening, Arghya soup is decorated in a bamboo basket and Arghya is collectively offered to the Sun on the banks of a pond or river.
On this day, folk songs depicting culture and history are played in different areas of Bihar.
On the night of the third day, a program called 'Kosi' takes place. An umbrella is made from sugarcane sticks and burning earthen lamps are kept inside the umbrella along with baskets filled with Prasad.
On the fourth day, on Kartik Shukla Saptami, Arghya is offered to the rising sun. The fasting people again go to the same place where they had offered Arghya in the evening the day before.
Again, like the previous evening, Ardha is offered to the Sun. After this ritual, devotees break their fast and distribute Prasad to neighbors and relatives.
Chhath fast is considered like a difficult penance. Chhath fast is mainly observed by women only. However, some men also observe this fast.
Bhavnath Jha, associated with the famous Mahavir temple in Bihar's capital Patna and editor of 'Dharmayan' magazine, says, "According to tradition, there is no priest in this festival. In fact, there is a practical problem behind this. Everyone celebrates this festival at the same time, so it is not possible to meet so many priests together."
How is the festival of Chhathi Mai related to Surya?
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According to Bhavnath Jha, "Chhath is basically two festivals. The first is celebrated on the sixth day of Shukla Paksha of Kartik month. In this, Chhathi Maiya is worshipped, who is considered the goddess of child rearing.
He says, "There is a big tradition of worshiping Chhathi Maiya in the entire country. While Lord Surya is worshiped on the 7th day. Surya is considered the god of health i.e. good health. These two festivals come together, hence they are linked to each other."
Rajesh Karmhe, working at Akashvani Ranchi and an expert on religious matters, told BBC, "This is the same Chhathi Maiya who is worshiped in many traditions on the sixth day of the child's birth. According to the belief, Chhathi Maiya had raised Kartikeya by feeding her milk. Due to this, the tradition of giving half milk on Chhath is associated."
How did Chhath become mainly a festival of Bihar?
Image source, ANI
According to the 1970 Gazetteer of the Government of Bihar, this festival is celebrated on the sixth and seventh tithi of Shukla Paksha of Kartik month.
According to the gazetteer, Chhath is a festival of Magadha. That is, this has been a festival of today's Bihar and its neighboring areas.
According to this, Surya is considered as the god of treatment of leprosy and Surya is considered a direct deity.
In such a situation, people take bath in the Ganga and offer prayers to the Sun and pray for good health.
Rajesh Karmhe, an expert in religious matters, says, "Actually, historically, leprosy was a very common disease in the region of Magadha. Surya is known as the god of treatment of this disease. In the medical system of Ayurveda, there is also mention of 'sun bath'. Therefore, by offering 'Ardhya' to the Sun on the banks of river Ganga, prayers have been done to avoid or cure such disease. "
According to Rajesh Karmhe, according to Ayurveda, our body is made up of five elements like earth, water, fire, air and sky. When we celebrate such festivals by standing in a pond or river, we are in contact with these five things.
Why is it called a festival of folk faith?
According to Amal Jha, an expert on the religion and culture of Bihar and a resident of Madhubani, this is a festival of the common people. By tradition this festival has passed from one person to another and from one generation to another.
Amal Jha says, "90 percent of the people do not recite any mantra during the festival of Chhath. There is no priest in it. In this, prayers are offered to Chhathi Maiya who gives children and Surya who gives health."
Rajesh Karmhe explains, "Sun is worshiped in many cultures. It is a tradition that started by worshiping Sun to get relief from diseases. Such faith is most common among common people. That is why it is called a festival of folk faith."
According to Rajesh, "Spirituality in India has been of two types - chanting and penance. Chanting means worship by chanting mantras, which was done by educated people. While the other is 'Tap' i.e. heating the body. The medium of worship of common people is penance. In this way, common people celebrate this festival with rigorous penance based on their faith, hence Chhath is called a festival of folk faith."
What is the history of Chhath?
According to Rajesh Karmhe, “History has always been written by special people. The festival of Chhath is associated with the common people. In ancient times, there used to be Vaidyas for the treatment of kings and feudal lords or rich people."
"Common people used to pray to God to be saved from diseases by relying on their faith and Chhath was associated with this faith. Therefore, there is no written document about it from where it can be known since when this festival is being celebrated."
Amal Jha explains, "Many temples were built in Bihar during the rule of the Pala dynasty. There were many Sun temples among them, so we can assume that Sun was worshiped in Bihar around the 12th century. But it is possible that a festival like Chhath was being celebrated even before that, hence Sun temples were built during the rule of the Pal dynasty."
Bhavnath Jha of Patna says, "In the 13th century, Himadri had composed 'Chartuvarga Chintamani' in the area of today's Gujarat. In this book, different fasts and festivals have been discussed. In this, it has been mentioned about offering 'Ardhya' to the Sun on the 7th day of every month."
He further says, "About 120 years before this, 'Lakshmidhar' was a learned minister in the rule of Garhwal dynasty of Kannauj. Lakshmidhar has mentioned Surya worship in his work 'Krityakalpataru'."
According to the Bihar Government Gazetteer, "There is a great belief in celebrating Chhath festival in the Sun Temple and the pond outside it located in Islampur in Patna district. Even at present, people from far away places come here to celebrate the festival of Chhath.
How is Chhath a festival of social harmony?
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There is no ritual in the festival of Chhath, hence there is no priest in it.
Just as to ensure that babies do not get any infection after birth, mothers or women living near babies take full care of cleanliness and there is a ritual of Chhathi.
Similarly, in this festival cleanliness is linked with purity and followed.
Amal Jha says that many Muslim families in Mithila, Bihar have also been celebrating Chhath. According to him, the festival of Chhath has been a festival of religious and social unity.
In this, apart from the women who celebrate Chhath, the people who make 'Soup-Dala', the farmers who grow crops, the shopkeepers who sell fruits and prasad, the male members who clean houses, roads and ghats, all have their own role.
What is the relation of Chhath with Indian astrology?
The festival of Chhath is celebrated twice a year. According to astrological belief, when the Sun is in Aries around the month of Chaitra, the Sun is considered to be at its highest.
The Chhath celebrated at this time is called 'Chaiti Chhath'.
According to Rajesh Karmhe, "In the month of Kartik, the Sun is in Libra. Here the Sun is in its lowest sign. In religious beliefs, this time is associated with the birth of Kartikeya. Therefore, Chhath celebrated at this time is more popular."
Published by Collective Newsroom for the BBC.
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