New Delhi: Chhath, along with being a great festival of folk faith, is also a great festival of worship and balance of nature. It is organized for four days. Which has started from today i.e. with Nahay-Khay. After this, Kharna takes place. On its sixth day, Arghya is offered to the setting sun. Next day in the morning there is a tradition of offering Arghya to the rising Sun.
In this, only those things which are related to nature are included as Prasad. Everything that is offered as Prasad is related to the seasonal crop. Be it fruits, food items or soup and porridge for offering Arghya. All are important parts of nature. An earthen stove is used to cook Thekua (dates), the main prasad of Chhath.
We will not discuss the mythological significance of Chhath here. Let us only talk about its constitution. As we have discussed above that today is the first day i.e. the day of bathing and eating. On Friday, Vrati will take bath in river ghats, ponds and other water bodies. After this, there is a trend of eating Arba rice bhaat, gram dal and pumpkin vegetable. Later other members of the family also accept it. It has a special significance of its own. It is said that through this the devotees prepare themselves for Nirjala fast.
Kharna takes place the next day. It happens on Kartik Shukla Panchami. This time it is on Saturday. On this day, the fasting person remains dehydrated the whole day. In the evening, Rasiyav or Kheer is made in Kharna from jaggery prepared from sugarcane juice. Vrati consumes it after performing puja. In this, bread smeared with ghee is also offered as Prasad. After the fast, other members of the family also take it. In this way the second day of the festival is completed.
Evening Arghya is offered on the third day of the four-day ritual i.e. on Kartik Shukla Shashthi. Thekua is specially prepared for this. After the Prasad is ready, it is decorated with bamboo soup and fruits in a basket. It is worshipped. After this, go to the nearby reservoir and take bath and offer Arghya to the setting Lord Bhaskar. In which personal welfare as well as upliftment of the world is wished for. Interesting thing is that even after the puja, the prasad of that day is not eaten.
After this, on the last day of this ritual i.e. on the morning of Saptami, there is a tradition of offering Arghya to the rising Sun. After completing the bathing process, one stands in the water and meditates on Lord Bhaskar and prays for health. The view of Chhath Ghats is beautiful in the morning on this day. Everyone waits for the sun to rise. This ritual is completed with the worship of the Sun after the sun rises. Prasad is distributed among the devotees. After receiving the Prasad, the fasting person also eats normal food
