Chhath Puja

Chhath, also known as Dala Chhath is an important festival celebrated in Bihar and many other parts of India in which setting Sun (dawn) is worshiped .This festival is also celebrated in neighbouring areas such as Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Terai areas of Nepal with a little difference. Chhath is also called ‘Suryasasthi’ as it observed after the six days of Diwali, the festival of light. 

Chhath Puja takes place during 6th day ( Shasthi) lunar fortnight of Kartik month (October last to mid November). The festival lasts for four days. There is also a "Chaiti Chhath" celebrated just after Holi during Chaitra Navratri in the month of Chaitra (March last to mid April).

The festival is observed and celebrated in Bihar since time immemorial with the constant faith that the Sun God fulfils wishes if 'araghya' is offered with complete dedication and devotion.

Chhath is not just a physical attachment to the people of Bihar, infact, it presents in their hearts, and this is why the people bring the festival wherever they have migrated. Nowadays it can be easily seen at the ghats of Yamuna in Delhi and other parts of India indicating its presence across the country.

It is a festival connected with purity, devotion to the Sun God who is considered as the source of life on this earth and is regarded as wish fulfiller.

The festival is celebrated with an aim to express thanks to Sun God for offering energy to earth continuously enabling the environment suitable for the people to live.

In the evening arghya people express their thanks to Sun God for its work in growing their crops during the preceding year and morning arghya is considered as a request for a bountiful crop, peace and prosperity in the year to come.

Devotees assemble at the ghats at rivers and ponds including Ganges and take a holy dip before preparing offerings (Prasad). The main constituent of the offerings are Thekua, which is a wheat based cake. 

Offerings are preferably cooked on earthen Chulha (oven). Some traditions are exercised with little difference varying from region to region and across the families with basic similarity.

During the puja, offerings are contained in small, semicircular pans woven out of bamboo strips called soop. Chhath is a Hindu festival but many muslim families also participates in this holy festival.

Legends
In ancient time the festival of Chhath was performed by Draupdi, the wife of “Pandavas” king of Hastinapur (Modern Delhi) during their exile from their kingdom. One day they were visited by 88 thousand wandering hermits ( Bhikshuk). According to the Hindu customs guest were treated heartily and offered foods in the reception.

But Pandavas barely enough for themselves and thus were hardly in a position to fulfill their obligation as Grihastha (householders) and offer meals to the visiting hermits. Seeing Pandavas in deep anguish, Draupdi asked for help to noble sage Dhaumya, who pleased upon her the merits of worshiping the Sun God. Draupdi was not only able to solve the immediate problem but her Sun worship helped the Pandavas later gain their lost Kingdom.

International Relevance
The tradition of worshiping Sun God , the saviour of the life on earth had also found in the Egypt and Babylon the oldest civilizations of the world.