Chhath Festival
With Chhath around the corner, excitement reaches its peak! The hustle and bustle of preparations, the vibrant energy of the ghats, and the anticipation of heartfelt rituals make it impossible to stay calm. Every moment feels alive.
The excitement around Chhath is unmatched! Its popularity and importance are crystal clear when you see how buses, trains, and flights get fully booked months in advance. Everyone living far from home is eager to return and celebrate Chhath in their hometown. During the peak season, scoring a ticket feels like winning the lottery—it’s nearly impossible! This rush, this madness, shows just how deeply rooted this beautiful festival is in the hearts of people.
Chhath season brings an unmatched buzz, and the scenes at train stations are nothing short of extraordinary! Trains heading to northern states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and parts of Madhya Pradesh are packed to the brim—reserved coaches included. Passengers squeeze into every corner, even crowding the entry doors, leaving no room to budge. Forget moving around; even reaching the toilet feels like an epic adventure! Sounds like a tall tale? Think again—this is the incredible reality every single year during Chhath. It’s a testament to the unbreakable spirit and devotion of people eager to celebrate this festival with their loved ones!
For most, Chhath is a Vedic festival, but for the people of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and parts of Madhya Pradesh, it’s a whole different level of celebration! It’s the ultimate family reunion—when relatives from all corners come together, no matter how far they live, to join hands and celebrate this incredible festival. The energy is electric as homes fill with laughter, love, and excitement, making it the most cherished time of the year for everyone involved!
The excitement for Chhath starts long before the big day! The entire preparation process is a thrilling journey, deeply rooted in tradition. Everything is connected to nature—earthen ovens are carefully set up for cooking, and dried mango tree logs are stacked high to fuel the fire. Wheat is lovingly sieved by hand, ensuring every grain is free from dirt, then washed with fresh water and left to dry. This ensures that only pure, sacred ingredients make their way into the prasadam. What makes Chhath truly one-of-a-kind is the unwavering commitment to cleanliness, purity, and holiness in every single step of the preparation and fasting—it's an experience of devotion like no other!
The four-day Chhath celebration is an exhilarating spiritual journey, where every moment is filled with divine sanctity and devotion!
It all begins on the first day, Nahaya Khai, where devotees prepare rice, pulses, and cucumber—cooked without onions and garlic, as both are considered inauspicious for this sacred festival. The prasadam is shared with the family after the devotees partake, and even the dinner follows the same tradition. The fast continues into the second day, known as Kharna.
On the second evening, the excitement peaks as jaggery, molasses, sugar puddings, and wheat bread (roti) are prepared in abundance. After fasting all day, devotees break their fast with this sweet feast, filling their hearts and stomachs with joy. After this, they continue fasting into the third day, which leads to the grand sunrise on the fourth day.
The third day is the most intense, with devotees fasting without a single drop of water. The real highlight? Thekua—a traditional, sacred dish made with absolute purity on an empty stomach! If anyone wants to help the devotees, they must bathe and wear freshly cleaned clothes, ensuring the highest level of sacredness. The prasadam offered to the Sun God on this day is made with pure devotion, marking the peak of this spiritually charged festival! It’s a time of complete surrender, devotion, and a deep connection to the divine.
On the third day of Chhath, the excitement reaches a whole new level as devotees flock to the riverbanks, lakesides, or ponds, eagerly gathering to worship the setting sun. With bamboo baskets called shup brimming with a colorful array of fruits and vegetables, they offer their devotion to the Sun God in a ritual called aragh. The air is filled with anticipation and energy as the offerings are made, and with hearts full of reverence, devotees head back home, their spirits soaring.
The next morning, the final day of the festival, brings even more thrill! Devotees rise dawn, buzzing with energy and excitement, ready to gather once again at the same spot to worship the rising sun. As the first rays of sunlight break through the horizon, they perform the ritual with immense joy and devotion, offering their prayers and partaking in the prasadam. With the sun’s rise, the fast is broken, and the celebration culminates in pure bliss!
