Chhath Puja 2023: Know about 4 days of festival, shubh muhrat, history, significance and rituals
Chhath Puja 2023: Chhath Puja is dedicated to Sun God 'Surya'. It is celebrated on the sixth day of 'Kartik Shukla' or six days after the festival of Diwali.
This ancient Hindu Vedic festival is mainly celebrated in Bihar, Jharkhand and Eastern Uttar Pradesh in India and Nepal.
Also referred to as Surya Shashti, Chhath, Mahaparv, Chhath Parv, Dala Puja, Pratihar and Dala Chhath, the four-day-long festival is dedicated to the deity Surya and Shashthi Devi.
The four-day festival starts on November 17 and it will end on November 20, 2023.
According to Drik Panchang, the sunrise time for this day is 06:45 am and the sunset time is 17:27 pm.
Chhath Puja is a four-day festival is observed during each day have specific significance:
Day 1 (Nahay Khay)
On the first day, devotees take a holy dip in a river or pond and clean their homes and prepare for fast
Day 2 (Kharna)
The second day is known as "Kharna." Devotees observe a fast for the entire day, which is broken after sunset
Day 3 (Sandhya Arghya)
The third day is dedicated to offering prayers to the setting sun. Devotees go to the riverbank or any water body in the evening to make offerings (Arghya) to the Sun God.
Day 4 (Usha Arghya)
The fourth and final day, also known as "Usha Arghya," involves offering prayers to the rising sun. This marks the conclusion of the Chhath Puja festival. The 36 hours long fast is broken after giving Arghya to the Sun.
Chhath is performed to seek blessings from the Sun God for a healthy, happy, and prosperous life. It is believed that sunlight has cure for various diseases and conditions. It has a healing effect that can benefit ill people. Taking a dip in the holy river also has certain medicinal benefits. The main purpose of Chhath Puja is to help the Vrattis gain mental purity and mental and physical power. The festival requires maintaining utmost cleanliness.
On this day, married women perform Chhath Puja and pray for the well-being of their sons and their families. On the second day, women fast without drinking water from sunrise to sunset. The fast is broken after sunset. The third day’s fasting begins with the end of the second day's 'prasad'. Day-long fast with no water is observed on the 'Chhath Puja' day. The next morning, devotees offer 'Usha Arghya', and after the offering, women end their 36-hour fast.
Happy Chhath Puja 2023!
- With inputs from agencies
