YP Gupta
Dimapur
The Chhath Puja being the most important festival of the Bihari Community, it is celebrated by every Bihari people both in the state of Bihar as well as in any place where the Bihari community resides.
In order to follow the old age tradition of the Bihari people, which ask blessing for the welfare of the family and community this festival has been celebrated with full grand, fun fair and dedication to preserve the age old traditions of the community to follow the ancestral way of life, with rest of India, Chhath Puja is also celebrated on the bank of River Dhansiri at Dimapur.
Rituals involved in Chhath Puja: Chhath is a four day festival which starts four days after the famous Indian festival Diwali, this year Chhath Puja 2022 is from October 28 to 31. Below is the list of Chhath rituals which are involved in Chhath Puja.
Day 1 (Nahay Khay): The first days of the Chhath Puja involved devotees taking dip preferably in the River Kosi, Ganga and Karnali and then after the holy dip devotees take home the holy water to prepare the offerings. It is one of the most important rituals of Chhath Puja on the first day.
Day 2 (Lohanda or Kharna): The second day of Chhath Puja involved devotees fasting the whole day and the fast ends a little later after the sunset. The second important ritual of Chhath Puja involves devotees preparing offerings like kheer, bananas and rice for the family after worshiping the Sun and the Moon. After consuming the prasad one has to fast for 36 hours without water.
Day 3 (Sandhya Arghya/evening offerings): The third day of Chhath Puja is also observed with fast without water and the entire day involves preparing puja offerings. The offerings (prasad) later are kept in a bamboo tray. The offering includes thekua, coconut banana and other seasonal fruits. Third day’s evening rituals takes place at the banks of a river or a pond or any clean water body. All the devotees offer ‘araghya’ to the setting sun.
Day 4 (Bihaniya Arghya): On the last day of Chhath Puja, devotees again assemble on the bank of the River or any water body and then offer prayers and prasad to the rising Sun. After the offerings are done then the devotees break their fast by eating ginger and sugar or anything which is available locally. After all these Chhath Puja rituals this amazing festival ends.
The writer is President, Hindu Seva Samiti and Vice President, Nagaland Bihari Samaj.
