Chhath Puja 2024: Know The Dates, Timings And Significance Of Festival

Chhath Puja 2024 Date & Timings: With the Diwali festivities over, the focus has now shifted to Chhath, majorly celebrated in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal as well as by the expatriate population. The festival is dedicated to the Sun god (Surya) and Chhathi Maiya (Mother Shashti), believed to be the sister of the Sun. The holy festival spans four days and involves strict rituals and fasting to express gratitude to the Sun god for sustaining life on Earth. This year, the festival is being celebrated from November 5 (Tuesday) to November 8 (Friday).

How is Chhath celebrated?

The festival begins with Nahay Khay (bathing and feasting), where participants take a ritualistic bath and consume a simple meal. The subsequent day, devotees observe Kharna, which involves fasting throughout the day, breaking it only after sunset as an offering to the deities. The person observing the fast takes the meal of roti (chappati) and kheer (rice pudding) before the family members and friends gather to eat the same meal on a banana leaf together.

On the third day, the main ritual having immense devotion ascribed to it, takes place. Devotees, usually women, gather at the water bodies, be it rivers or ponds, before sunrise. Standing waist-deep in water, they offer arghya (offering of water) to the rising Sun, chanting hymns and prayers. This unique aspect of Chhath Puja symbolises purity, self-discipline, and the continuity of life. The setting (Usha) Sun witnesses another round of arghya, this time bidding farewell to the day.

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When is Chatth being celebrated?

• Nahay Khay: November 5 from 6:36 AM till 5:33 PM
• Kharna: November 6 from 6:37 AM to 5:32 PM
• Sandhya arghya: November 7 from 6:38 AM to 5:32 PM
• Usha arghya: November 8 from 6:38 AM to 5:31 PM

Why is Chatth unique?

The festival has a special meaning for the Biharis who regard it as a Mahaparv (Grand festival). Millions of migrants, spread across the country, return to the state to celebrate the festival and soak in the culture of their homeland.

What makes Chhath a unique festival is that any person can observe the festival. There are no priests involved. The devotees and their worship towards a visible god, the Sun, who is the ultimate source of energy on the planet, is the only connection that matters.