Chhat puja - Bihar Festival

Chhath is a festival celebrated by the Biharis on the sixth day of the lunar month after Diwali every year usually a 4 day long celebration accompanied by rituals or “Suryashashthi'. Chhath is the only time when the setting sun as apposed to its rising is celebrated for its glory as the cycle of birth starts with death. It is a festival of truth, non-violence, forgiveness and compassion.

The rituals usually consist of fasting, folklores, hymns, together with the somber hues on the banks of the celestial Ganga or any fresh watery body. A million lit lamps with thousands hands offering ‘Arghya’ to the sun makes it a delightful sight. The enormous faith in Chhat Puja has made it one of the most popular festivals this region.

How do you celebrate Chhat puja?

Hello everyone,

I'm glad to start my first post with Chatt puja, because it is one of the pujas we have our utmost faith 'shraddha'. I'd like to add a few facts on this auspicious festival as I've known from my elders.

Chhatt is dedicated to the worship of the Sun God and therefore, is also known as Surya Shashti. Chhatt is celebrated as thanks to the Sun for providing the necessities of life on earth, and also for fulfilling particular wishes.
The word Chhatt denotes the number six and thus the festival begins on the sixth day of the Hindu month of Kartik in the Hindu lunar calendar, which falls in late October and November.

It is commonly believed that the wishes of the devotees are always granted. Also, the devotees dread the punishment for any misdeed during Chhatt. Therefore, the cities in Bihar and Jharkhand (where it is mainly observed) remains safe and experiences peace during this time when even criminals prefer to behave.
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Ranjani

hi,
it,s great to worship god sun as life without it is really impossible,but with all the puja, i can not forget the tasty dishes prepared during this time,although the elder ladies of the house observe fast,n it is quite hard for them to wake early in the morning n do all the preparation,all other members of the family r also involved in some way or other n enjoy it at the fullest.

How nice to see a post on Chatt Puja. I loved the unique taste of the Chatt puja prasad which our neighbors used to send us. It was quite a long time ago, when we were kids, but the memories are livid. Can anybody share the recipes of how to make the prasad (it was fried pancake)?

We'd also like to know the customs related to Chatt puja.
Happy Posting!

Sonia

The festival of Chhatt is marked by celebrations and rituals that last 4 days.

Day 1:
The devotees bathe in the holy river Ganges to wash away their sins. They also clean their homes thoroughly.

Day 2:
The devotees observe a fast for the whole day, which is broken in late evening, after performing the puja (worship ceremony) at home. They offer kheer (rice pudding) and fruit to God and then share it with family and friends.

Day 3:
The day is spent preparing the prasad (offerings) at home. In the evening the devotees go to a riverbank or pond where the prasad is offered to the setting sun. The devotees return home for another colorful celebration. Under a canopy of sugar cane sticks, they place clay elephants containing diyas (earthen lamps), and baskets filled with prasad. Agni(fire god)is worshipped.

Day 4:
On the final day of the festivities the devotees, family and friends go to the riverbank. Prasad is offered to the rising sun. The devotees break their fast and the prasad is shared with all the people around.

Have you witnessed Chhatt puja?

The best things I like about celebrating Chhat Puja is the festivities and rituals associated with it. It is one of the most joyous and colorful festivals in Bihar and Jharkhand. People are dressed up in their best clothes and devotional folk songs are sung both at home and on the riverbank. Millions of people gather at the banks of river Ganges in Patna to celebrate Chhatt. The streets are kept spotlessly clean by volunteers, who also decorate all the streets leading to the river.

The prasad includes sweets and fruit kept in small baskets made of bamboo.
The food is strictly vegetarian and it is cooked without salt, onions or garlic. Emphasis on put on maintaining the purity of the food.

Greetings on Chhat to all.
Like every year, this year too Chhat utsav is being celebrated with traditional piety and fervour all over Bihar. The Chhat utsav is a four day festival celebrated on the sixth day after Diwali. This year Chhat Puja started on 22nd Oct 2009.
There is a tradition of offering newly harvested fruits to the goddess on the occasion of the Chhat Puja. This year we offered sugarcane, pani phal or singara, lemon, haldi, ginger, coconut, banana, oranges and apples to the diety.