Chhat
CHHAT
The people of Terai region celebrate many festivals. Different festivals are connected with different cultural and religious significance. Each festival is attributed to a god. In this festival, the sun god is being
Worshipped.
The Chhath Puja is performed in order to thank Surya for sustaining life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes. 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 rising sun. People celebrate it also for their good health.
On the first day, a woman cooks rice in milk in the evening. The rice is offered to the sun and the rest of rice is called prashad which is distributed all the members of the family. She prepares rest ritual items like thakuwa, bhusuwa, rice, coconuts, fruits item, flowers, lamps, sugarcane, etc in a small baskets and elephant and horse made mud diyo. On the eve of this day, the entire household accompanies the parvaitins to a riverbank, pond or a common large water body with the Thakuwa fruits, etc to make the offerings (Aragh) of milk to the setting sun. On the final day of Chhath Puja, the devotees, along with family and friends, go to the riverbank before sunrise, in order to make the offerings (Aragh) to the rising sun. The festival ends with the breaking of the fast by the parvaitins and friends visiting the houses of the devotees to receive the prashad. The Chhath has so much importance that even millionaire begs for prashad at the Chhath ghat. This symbolizes that all persons are beggar in front of the almighty.
The Chhath process stresses mental discipline. The discipline of mental purity is a result of this work. By employing a number of rituals, the vrattis focus on maintaining the cleanliness of the offerings and environment. Cleanliness is the most dominant thought that
The people of Terai region celebrate many festivals. Different festivals are connected with different cultural and religious significance. Each festival is attributed to a god. In this festival, the sun god is being
Worshipped.
The Chhath Puja is performed in order to thank Surya for sustaining life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes. 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 rising sun. People celebrate it also for their good health.
On the first day, a woman cooks rice in milk in the evening. The rice is offered to the sun and the rest of rice is called prashad which is distributed all the members of the family. She prepares rest ritual items like thakuwa, bhusuwa, rice, coconuts, fruits item, flowers, lamps, sugarcane, etc in a small baskets and elephant and horse made mud diyo. On the eve of this day, the entire household accompanies the parvaitins to a riverbank, pond or a common large water body with the Thakuwa fruits, etc to make the offerings (Aragh) of milk to the setting sun. On the final day of Chhath Puja, the devotees, along with family and friends, go to the riverbank before sunrise, in order to make the offerings (Aragh) to the rising sun. The festival ends with the breaking of the fast by the parvaitins and friends visiting the houses of the devotees to receive the prashad. The Chhath has so much importance that even millionaire begs for prashad at the Chhath ghat. This symbolizes that all persons are beggar in front of the almighty.
The Chhath process stresses mental discipline. The discipline of mental purity is a result of this work. By employing a number of rituals, the vrattis focus on maintaining the cleanliness of the offerings and environment. Cleanliness is the most dominant thought that