Chhath Puja 2021: Unique Facts and Myths
India is a land of festivals. Almost throughout the year, different festivals are celebrated in various parts of the country. Each of the festivals is wrapped with some mythological stories carried forward by generations. The stories are interesting and intriguing too, related to the God and Goddesses of various religions. Recently India celebrated the auspicious Chhath Puja. The festival is celebrated mainly in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and even in the neighboring country Nepal. Chhath Puja is a four-day long festival. This year 2021, it is being celebrated from 8th Nov to 11th Nov. It essentially starts on the sixth day after Diwali (festival of lights) or on the sixth day of the month of Kartik (month as per the Hindu calendar).

The Myth
The reference of Chhath Puja has been noticed in the ancient book Rig Veda. During the Puja, devotees chant few scripts or mantras from the Rig Veda while offering their prayers to the Sun God. As per Hindu mythology, the sages from the Vedic age used to worship the Sun God.
The epic Ramayana states that when Lord Rama and his wife Sita returned from their exile to Ayodhya, they observed fast for the whole day till the sunset to worship the Sun God. Also, as per the epic Mahabharata, Karna who was the child of the Sun God and Kunti, used to offer prayers to the Lord while dipping his feet in water. Even the Pandavas and their wife Draupadi, worshipped the Sun God, to get back their kingdom from the Kauravas.
Significance of the four days of Chhat Puja
Nahay Khay
Chhath Puja starts with Nahay Khay. The devotees consume foods devoid of onion and garlic; considered holy and pure in the religious world. The meals are called Satvic in the colloquial language. They are consumed only after taking a bath since as per beliefs one is purified after a bath. Chhath Puja is majorly performed by the women folk but in certain households, men also perform the rituals. They worship Lord Surya or the Sun God, ushering in prosperity and well-being for their family members and other acquaintances.
Lohanda and Kharna
The second day of Chhath Puja is known as Lohanda and Kharna. On this day, the devotees prepare a special sweet dish called Kheer It is made with jaggery (Gur) and a special type of rice called Arwa Chawal. This is offered to God and consumed by the devotees. After that, they start fasting without water (Nirjala Vrat) for the next 36 hours.
Sandhya Arghya
Sandhya Arghya is the third day of Chhath Puja. On this day, the devotees do not consume any food and continue with their fasting without water. They worship the Sun God. As on offering to the Lord, they prepare another sweet dish called Thekua. It is made with ghee, flour and jaggery. The Puja or the worship for the Lord starts during sunset. The devotees along with their family members go to a nearby water body and offer fruits, and sweet dishes to the Lord. They also dip in the water to purify themselves. They continue with the fasting without water till the next sunrise. All the women folk preferably wear yellow-coloured sarees.

Usha Arghya
The fourth day of Chhath Puja is Usha Arghya. The devotees again go to a nearby water body during sunrise and dip their feet in water. The offering is to the rising sun and hence know asn Usha Arghya. Once completed, they break their fast and consume food prepared fresh without onion and garlic. Family members gather around in one place to celebrate the festival.

Some Interesting Facts about Chhath Puja
Both the Sun God (Lord Surya) and Chhathi Maiya (another name for Goddess Usha and a known sister to Lord Surya) are worshipped during Chhath Puja. The name of the festival is called “Chhath” popularly known as number 6 in the colloquial language. It is also known by the name Dala Chhath. The reason being the fruits and the other things for the Puja are carried inside a flat cane basket called Dala.
The devotees eat prasad during their fasting – comprising of rice, fresh fruits, dry fruits, jaggery, wheat, nuts, ghee and coconuts.

This year 2021 also Chhat Puja was celebrated with all the merriment and joy.
The Pictures are clicked by my mother.

Author
Kuntala
A travel enthusiast craving to explore the exotic destinations in the world, deciphering the mysteries and the thrill concealed in them.
I love reading these posts, so informative and interresting. I spent Holi festival in Rishikesh and loved it, I would love to see other festivals in the future.
very interesting. I didn’t know any of that so reading about Chath puja was even more interesting
Thanks a lot for this post and I learned a lot about the tradition and rituals of chhath puja. Great read.
I really din’t know about this. Especially the facts.. Such a good read.
Thanks for keeping us updated on your travels! Your blog is a great source of many places around India. I wish one day, I could visit at least one of your recommended places, and learned from many tradition festivals.
So much more learnings about culture an places to visit in this country. Super great blog. Hoping I can visit this soon.
Thanks for this detailed sharing , always love to learn more on different cultures , enjoyed my read here
It is really interesting to hear about Chhath Puja. I never heard of this festival but love hearing the four different aspects that make this festival so important.
Yet another inspiring post on India’s rich culture. I so wish for things going back to normal so that travelling will be easier again and I can finally visit 🙂
I never realized how many festivals India had until I started checking out your blog. I had never even heard of Chhath Puja before. It’s so interesting learning about it and what’s it means.
I learned a lot from your post, thank you for sharing! I hope it was a wonderful observation.