The fun of weekend gets doubled when it comes with some festival. And India is known for many festivals. Like last weekend Festival of lights - Diwali keeps us occupied, this weekend too we were caught up with Chatth Festival. A lessor known festival for the world but a bigger occassion for the people of eastern India. This festival marks the worshipping of Lord Surya (sun). Once the setting Sun and then next day the rising sun is worshipped by standing up in water.
communities will come together to celebrate and express gratitude for the life-sustaining power of the sun.
floating lamp and women praying for the setting sun (photo credit to my nephew)
This one festival keeps the people busy for entirely 4 days. Infact preparation for this festival starts with Diwali. The four day of worshipping includes :
- Nahaye - Khaye. *(cleaning of home and cooked food by own)
- Kharnna (rice kheer is made on the wooden stove)
- Offering to setting Sun
- Offering to rising Sun.
Chhath Puja holds deep roots in Vedic practices, with Chhath Devi, the daughter of Lord Surya, symbolizing the holistic connection with the cosmos.
Performing the rituals of this festival is not an easy things. It is one of the toughest and hard festival in India. The person who perform the rituals abstain themselves from food and water for 3 continous days. And it require a lot of purity. The level of belief is such that those perform this festival and those who does not always try to make this as pure as possible and continue to make contribution own way. From cleaning the roads to washing cloth to cleaning the home. The impact is too much. Since Chhath Puja includes some very hard rituals and fasting, therefore, one needs to take care of their health during the festivities.
(A worshipping area near the water bed)
It is said that one should maintain a lot of purity during this time and if these things are not taken care of, then the puja fails. If any mistake is made during Chhath festival, it can have an adverse effect on the family and leads to negative consequences, including bad health. In such a situation. It is important for everyone to know which mistakes we should not make even by mistake during this festival.
- Always wash your hand, before touching and object related to puja.
- Under no circumstances should one use uncooked grains during the puja.
- One should also not use old or unpurified stove for cooking the Prasad. Not even the our regular Gas stove.
- Anything related with the rituals should be made only on mud stove and by burning mango wood.
- Prohibition on consuming Tamasic food. One should not consume Tamasic food like garlic, onion, meat, liquor etc.
- Prasad or any offering are made at home by washing, grinding and crushing the grains. No mills or machine involved. (check below image)
- One should take special care that birds or any other animals do not spoil the grains.
- Only soup bowl or basket made of bamboo is used in puja. One should not use glass or steel utensils even by mistake during Chhath Puja.
- Only pure ghee and good fruits should be used in the Prasad, this pleases Chhath Mata. Fruits and flowers should always be neat and clean.
- Only the person who observes fast makes the food and all the prasad for himself and for the family members.
boys busy in manual churning process of what's, no machine things involved.
Looking at all these rituals and the level of purity involved, everyone try their best not to make any kind of mess in the festival.
Legends have their own story to share. It shows how this festival holds a special significance since vedic time. Worshippers offers "argha" to Lord sun. And concludes the festival. Here are some of the picture from the festival celebration at our place.
a ghee lamp and the different fruits for offering
bamboos basket containing all the offerings kept in front of the water bed.
a lady taking fip in the water bed before begining the ritusls
the white cloth man has kept the fasting he is the main worshiper
scene from our villzge pond srea, entire village came to worship and pay respect
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(me buying the fruits from local market)
clouds delaying the things in morning
finally the sun came out behind the clouds
It was a freaking fun time that kept me too occupied. But these festival are good times to make the day quite special. It was the time when you can find entire village, friends, families at one point i.e..The village pond.