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Chhath Puja festival is celebrated for four days in the month of Kartik, as per the Hindu calendar.
Chhath Puja 2024 will be celebrated from November 5 to November 8. (Image: Shutterstock)
Chhath Puja is a popular Hindu festival dedicated to Sun God, or Surya Dev and his sister Chhathi Maiya. The festival is widely celebrated with all traditional fervour in Bihar, Jharkhand and Eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The festival involves performing a number of rituals and a strict fasting for 36 hours by the devotees. According to Drik Panchang, Chhath Puja festivities will be celebrated for four days from November 5 to November 8 this year.
The Chhath Puja is held on the Shasthi Tithi or the sixth day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Kartik, as per Hindu calendar. The preparations for Chhath Puja begin two days ahead on Chaturthi Tithi.
Chhath Puja Calendar 2024
Chhath Puja Day 1 – Nahay Khay
The first day begins with taking a holy bath in a river or any nearby water body. Then devotees cook food items like rice and lentils, which are offered to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya. The rituals are known as ‘Nahay Khay’. This year, Nahay Khay will be held on November 5.
Nahay Khay Muhurat
Timings: Sunrise at 6:16 am, and sunset at 5:43 pm*.
Chhath Puja Day 2 – Kharna
The second day of Chhath Puja is known as ‘Kharna’. The day marks strict fasting by devotees from morning till the evening. The devotees cook dishes like kheer to offer as Prasad to Surya Dev in the evening. The day symbolises purification of body and mind.
Timings: Sunrise at 6:17 am, and sunset at 5:43 pm.
ALSO READ: Delhi Govt Declares Public Holiday on November 7 For Chhath Puja
Chhath Puja Day 3 – Sandhya Arghya
On the third day, people assemble on the banks of a river or at any other water body to offer prayers to the setting sun. They offer a number of fruits, sweets and thekua, a fried dumpling to the setting sun and Chatthi Maiya. This is considered as the most important ritual of Chhath Puja celebrations. This is performed during the sunset on the Shasthi Thithi. This year Sandhya Arghya rituals will be performed on November 7.
- Shasthi Tithi: From 12:41 AM on November 7 to 12:34 AM on November 8
- Sunrise on Chhath Puja Day: 6:17 AM
- Sunset on Chhath Puja Day: 5:42 PM
Chhath Puja Day 4 – Usha Arghya
The last day of the Chhath Puja is known for the rituals of Usha Arghya, or offerings to the rising sun. The devotees offer prayers to the rising sun and Chhathi Maiya. The devotees offer Usha Arghya and this marks the culmination of 36-hour long fasting.
- Sunrise at 6:18 AM
- Sunset at 5:42 PM
* Sunrise and sunset timing source: drikpanchang.com
Chhath Puja Origin and Significance
Chhath Puja festivities span across 4 days. The festival is dedicated to Surya Dev and Goddess Shasthi, also known as Chhathi Maiya. As per Hindu epics, the deity is known as the goddess of life, fertility and she is believed to protect children.
Surya Dev is revered as the source of life on earth. The Chhath Puja rituals symbolise paying obeisance to the source of life. On this auspicious occasion the devotees, especially married women, seek blessings for the protection of children and well-being of their families.
Chhath Puja has immense religious significance due to its mention in religious texts like Ramayana and Mahabharat.
Draupadi undertook fast during Chhath Puja in order to ensure that the Pandavas could regain their kingdom after having been sent into exile for 13 years. Sage Dhaumya advised her to perform the Chhath Puja rituals to seek blessings of Lord Surya.
As per the famous epic Ramayan, Chhath Puja is linked to the return of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita to Ayodhya, after 14 years of exile.
It’s believed that on the advice of Rishi Mudgala, while returning to Ayodhya, Maa Sita performed Chhath Puja on the banks of Ganga to pay obeisance to Maa Ganga and Lord Surya. It’s believed that the place where Maa Sita performed the Chhath Puja is today known as the Sita Charan temple in the Munger district of Bihar.