Chhath is an ancient Hindu Vedic festival dedicated to the Hindu Sun God, Surya and Chhathi Maiya (ancient Vedic Goddess Usha).
The Chhath Puja is performed in order to thank Surya for sustaining life on earth. This festival is observed by people living in Nepal and India (mainly in the State of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.)
The rituals of the festival are rigorous and are observed over a period of four days. They include holy bathing, fasting and abstaining from drinking water (Vratta), standing in water for long periods of time, and offering prashad (prayer offerings) and arghya to the setting and rising sun.
Chhath puja is performed on Kartika Shukla Shashthi, which is the sixth day of the month of Kartika in the Vikram Samvat. This falls typically in the month of October or November in the Gregorian English Calendar.
It is believed that the ritual of Chhath puja may even predate the ancient Vedas texts, as the Rigveda contains hymns worshiping the Sun god and describes similar rituals.
The rituals also find reference in the Sanskrit epic poem Mahābhārata in which Draupadi is depicted as observing similar rites. Draupadi and the Pandavas performed the Chhath ritual on the advice of noble sage Dhaumya. Through her worship of the Sun God, Draupadi was not only able to solve her immediate problems, but also helped the Pandavas later regain their lost kingdom.
Another history behind celebrating the Chhath puja is the story of Lord Rama. It is considered that Lord Rama and Sita had kept fast and offered puja to the Lord Sun in the month of Kartika in Shukla Paksh during their coronation after returning to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile.
The main worshipers, called Parvaitin (from Sanskrit parv, meaning ’occasion’ or ’festival’), are usually women. However, a large number of men also observe this festival. The parvaitin pray for the well-being of their family, and for the prosperity of their off-springs. Once a family starts performing Chhatt Puja, it is their duty to perform it every year and to pass it on to the following generations. The festival is skipped only if there happens to be a death in the family that year.
