USA (Commonwealth Union)_ Members of the Indian community in the United States, hailing from different states, gathered at waterfronts to celebrate the auspicious festival of Chhath on Sunday. The festivities, observed on both Saturday and Sunday, brought hundreds of people to waterbodies, where flower decorations adorned the area and women dressed in traditional Indian attire performed the customary rituals. Chhath Puja, a traditional Hindu festival dedicated to the Sun, involves devotees worshipping and making offerings during the Sunrise and Sunset. On Monday morning, fasting devotees offered prayers to the rising sun, marking the culmination of their fast.
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The devotees observe this fast and Sun worship with the hope of ensuring the long lives and well-being of their family members while also seeking the fulfillment of their expectations and endeavors. In Kathmandu, devotees also congregated at nearby holy water bodies on Sunday evening, performing Arghya rituals to Lord Sun as they prepared to stay awake throughout the night, marking the third day of the challenging Chhath fasting. As the four-day Chhath Puja festival approached its final day, devotees assembled on the banks of the Ganga river at Digha Ganga Ghat in Patna on Monday morning to offer worship to the rising Sun.
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In Delhi’s Gautam Nagar, people assembled at Central Park to offer prayers to “Chhath Maiya.” A devotee shared, “This tradition has been going on since we were kids. We do this every year. ‘Chhath Maiya’ ensures happiness in our family, and so we do it.” Chhath Puja, celebrated annually with great enthusiasm in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Bengal, also witnesses vibrant celebrations in the national capital, where a significant population from these states resides.
The festival’s origins can be traced back to the hilly regions of Nepal after the political change of 1990, coinciding with the restoration of democracy in the Himalayan nation. Fasting devotees adhere to a diet of pure foods during this time, emphasizing cleanliness as a paramount aspect. The festival, characterized by high participation rates among women, is celebrated with fervor and is considered an opportunity to take a break from daily household chores, providing a refreshing interval.
