Chhath Puja is not a festival, its an emotion!

 Chhath puja is not only a festival, its an emotion of every Bihari. The people from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Bengal also celebrates this festival but it is mainly celebrate in whole Bihar with lots of enthusiasm and happiness. And when we hear the word 'the chhath puja' it means the smell of mango wood chulha, the sound of every mother singing the chhath puja song while working in the kitchen, and the cold water of the river touching the feet at 4 AM. If you have never seen chhath puja in Bihar, Jharkhand or eastern UP, then you have not seen what real devotion looks like. 

many peoples search on google for the information, and google also tell you that chhath is the worship of sun god or Surya Devta in Hindi. Yes, it is. But for every Bihari baddies, it is much more than that. It is a thanks to nature. It is our mother's toughest fast for family. It is the only festival where you worship both the setting sun and the rising sun. We thank the sun when it is going down, and we welcome it again when it comes up. How beautiful is that thought?

The authentic story behind chhath puja:

Our grandmother used to tell us two stories. The first one is about Draupadi and the Pandavas. When the Pandavas lost everything in gambling, Draupadi observed the Chhath fast to get their kingdom back. And it worked. The second story is about Karna, the son of Sun God. He used to stand in water for hours and offer prayers to the Sun. That's why we still stand in water and offer Arghya. The most important role in puja during Chhath puja. 

But honestly, I have my own simple logic. Our entire life depends on the Sun. Our crops grow because of the Sun. We live because of the Sun. So once a year, we just stop everything and say "Thank You" to him. No priest, no big temple, no expensive decoration needed. Just you, your faith, and the Sun.

Chhath is not a one-day festival. It is celebrated for four days, and every day has a different energy. People think fasting for 36 hours without water is impossible. But when you see your mother or your aunt doing it with a smile, you understand where the power comes from. this is the most powerful belief and devoting towards the god and fasting for them.

Day 1: Nahay Khay - The Cleaning Begins This is the first day of chhath puja. The real cleaning of the house starts. Not the diwali cleaning but the spiritual cleaning. The person who is going to keep the fast, we call her Vratin, takes a bath in the river or pond. She wears new clothes and cooks the purest food. The food is always cooked on a chulha with mango wood. It is bottle gourd sabzi, chana dal, and rice. It sounds simple, but that day, that simple food tastes like heaven. The rule is, after this, the kitchen becomes super pure. No lies, no arguments in the house. And mostly mother's can do for their children for their success, good and healthy life. 

Day 2: Kharna - The Most Peaceful Night of My Life

Kharna is my favourite. This is the second day of Chhath puja. The Vratin keeps a full day fast without a single drop of water. In the evening, she makes kheer with jaggery, roti, and banana. We all kids used to sit in the courtyard and wait. We were hungry, but we were waiting for Prasad. She eats that kheer after sunset, and from that moment, her 36-hour Nirjala fast starts. No water, no food for the next 36 hours. I always wonder, how can a mother do that? She does it for us. She does it for the family, for their children.

Day 3: Sandhya Arghya - The Evening Offering to the Setting Sun

This is the main day. From the morning, my whole house smells like Thekua. Thekua is a cookie made of wheat flour and jaggery, fried on a chulha. My mother makes at least 100 Thekuas. The whole neighbourhood smells the same. In the afternoon, we decorate the Daura, a big bamboo basket. We put Thekua, coconut, sugarcane, banana, and other fruits in it. Then we all go to the ghat.

Imagine this scene: Hundreds of women standing waist-deep in the river, wearing bright orange and yellow sarees, holding a basket, and praying to the setting sun. The sun is slowly going down, its orange reflection in the water, and thousands of diyas floating on the water. There is complete silence except for Chhath songs. I have seen many beautiful places in the world, but I have never seen anything more beautiful than this. At that moment, you don't feel like you are on earth. You feel something divine.

Day 4: Usha Arghya - The Morning Offering and the End of Fast

We stay at the ghat for the whole night. Some people sing bhajans all night. At 3 AM, we again go to the ghat. It is dark and cold, but everyone is there. And childrens makes their own group and enjoy on the ghat.

We wait for the sun to rise. And when the sun finally rises, with a little red light, everyone shouts "Chhathi Maiya Ki Jai". The Vratin offers the morning Arghya to the rising sun. After that, she breaks her fast. She eats the Thekua Prasad. We distribute that Prasad to everyone. That Thekua is not just food. It is blessed. It is love. And then we all came home, and this is how happily we celebrate the Chhath puja with lots of devotional belief towards the Chhathi maiya and Surya devta.

Why Thekua Is Not Just a Sweet

If you have never eaten the original Chhath Thekua, you have missed something in life. It is not available in any shop. The real taste only comes when it is made on a chulha, with pure ghee, by your mother's hands, while singing folk songs. There is a rule while making Thekua - you have to be pure by mind and heart. You cannot use foul language. You have to make it with love. That is why it tastes so different. Market Thekua is just a biscuit, but homemade Thekua is an emotion. In bihar and Jharkhand state we usually find homemade thekuas. No one can buy this from the shop it is made in house with proper hygience and mother's love. 

What Chhath Means to Me Personally

For me, Chhath is an excuse to go back home. On Diwali, everyone goes home. But on Chhath, only those people go home who truly love their soil. There is no show-off in this festival. No one will ask you what brand your clothes are. No one will ask how much money you spent on decoration. This is the only festival where a husband helps his wife carry the heavy Daura on his head to the river. This is the only festival where rich and poor stand in the same water and pray to the same sun. There is no discrimination.

As a woman, I feel so proud of this festival. We don't need any priest to do the puja. We are the priest. Our faith is our mantra. We prove that a woman can stay without water for 36 hours just by her willpower and love for her family.If you ever get a chance, please visit Patna, or any small village in Bihar during Chhath. You will see the river banks decorated like a bride. You will see thousands of diyas. You will hear the most soulful music ever. And you will understand why Biharis, no matter where they are in the world - in Delhi, Mumbai, or even in the USA, they will come back home for Chhath. This year, I am also going home. I will stand with my mother in that cold water. I will pray for my family, for my website, and for all of you who are reading this.

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Happy Chhath Mahaparv to you and your family.