Hindu festival
Chhath Puja Also called Chhaith Chhath Parva Chhath Puja Dala Chhath Dala Puja Surya Shashthi Observed by Bhojpuri , Magahi and Maithil ethnolinguistic groups in India and NepalType Cultural, Historical, Religious Significance To venerate Surya , the sun god and his sister Chhathi Maiya Date Kartik Shukla Shashthi 2023 date
25 March to 28 March (Chaiti)[1]
17 Nov to 20 Nov (Katiki)
2024 date Thursday 7, November Frequency Annual
Chhath is an ancient Hindu festival, native to the Indian subcontinent and of heritage to the Indo-Nepalese.[2] It is celebrated across all Northern Indian regions .[3] In particular, to the Indian states of Bihar , Jharkhand , and Uttar Pradesh ;[4] [5] and the Nepalese Autonomous provinces of Koshi , Lumbini , and Madhesh .[6] [7] [8] [9] In the major northern urban centres in India, hundreds of thousands of people celebrate it in cities including Delhi , Mumbai and Kathmandu Valley .[10] [11] [12] During Chhath Puja , prayers are dedicated to the solar deity , Surya : to show gratitude for bestowing the bounties of life on Earth and to request that certain wishes be granted.[13]
Chhathi Maiya, the sixth form of Prakriti and Surya's sister, is worshipped during the festival. It is celebrated six days after Deepavali , or Tihar , on the sixth day of the lunar month of Kartika (October or November) in the Hindu calendar (Vikram Samvat ), and hence why it is called Surya Shashti Vrata.[14] [15] [16] The rituals are observed over three nights and four days.[17] They include holy bathing, fasting , and abstaining from drinking water (as a vrata ), standing in water, and offering prasada (prayer offerings) and arghya to the rising and setting of the Sun.[18] Some devotees also perform a prostration march as they head towards the riverbanks.[19] All devotees prepare similar prasada (religious food) and offerings.[20] [21]
Chhath Puja at Inaruwa , Sunsari District,Koshi Province
Chhath Puja at Chaudhary Pokhair in Basuki Bihari town of Bihar
Environmentalists have claimed that the festival of Chhath is one of the most eco-friendly religious festivals in the world.[22] [23] Although the festival is observed most widely in Nepal and some Indian states, it is also prevalent in areas where the diaspora and migration from those areas have a presence.
^ admin; btnlivecities@gmail.com (8 March 2022). "कार्तिक छठ पूजा 2023 कब हैं | चैती छठ पूजा 2023 कब हैं" . BTN Live Cities . Retrieved 17 May 2023 .
^ Dalal, Roshen (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide . Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6 .
^ "Surat 1 lakh to celebrate chhath puja" . Jai Bihar . 22 October 2009. Archived from the original on 3 January 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2009 .
^ "20K perform Chhath Puja" . Hindustan Times . 2 November 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2022 .
^ Publications, Adda247. Ace Banking And Static Awareness eBook (English ed.). Adda247 Publications. ISBN 978-93-89924-52-7 . {{cite book }}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link )
^ "Preparations underway for Chhath" . kathmandupost.com . Retrieved 23 October 2022 .
^ Sharma, Dr Pradeep Kumar. Ghraundha 3: A complete children book (in Hindi). Naye Pallav. ISBN 978-81-935124-6-3 .
^ Staff, India com Lifestyle. "Chhath Puja 2021 Day 1: Nahay Khay Significance, Importance, All You Need to Know About This Ritual" . www.india.com . Retrieved 21 October 2022 .
^ Magazine, New Spolight. "Chhath Puja 2021: History, Importance, And Significance of Chhath Puja In Nepal And India" . SpotlightNepal . Retrieved 23 October 2022 .
^ "15 lakh to observe Chhath Puja in Delhi" . Jai Bihar . 22 October 2009. Archived from the original on 2 November 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2009 .
^ "Juhu Beach decks up for worshiping the sun god" . Daily News and Analysis . 24 October 2009. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2009 .
^ Koppikar, Smruti (17 November 2018). "Chhath politics in Mumbai has changed – Raj Thackeray's stance on North Indians is the biggest sign" . Scroll.in . Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2021 .
^ "A festival not confined to Bihar" . The Times of India . 25 October 2017. Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2021 .
^ "Chhath Puja 2016: History, Significance, Dates and Benefits of Chhath Puja, Surya Sashthi" . The Indian Express . 4 November 2016. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016.
^ Das, Subhamoy (3 October 2018). "Chhath Puja" . Learn Religions . Dotdash . Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015 .
^ "Festivals of India And Nepal - Chhath Festival" . aryabhatt.com . Archived from the original on 7 June 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2021 .
^ Richa (6 November 2016). "Chhath at the crossroads" . The Telegraph India . Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2021 .
^ "Chhath rituals bring family together" . The Times of India . 24 October 2017. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2021 .
^ Sah, Jitendra (8 November 2016). "Sun worshippers" . The Kathmandu Post . Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016 . Some devotees go to river banks to worship the sun by prostrating themselves the entire distance.
^ मानपुरी, सुरेन्द्र (10 November 2018). "Chhath Puja: भिखारी सारी दुनिया दाता एक राम... छठ पर्व में आम और खास सब एक समान" . Hindustan . Retrieved 9 November 2021 .
^ Jha, Jivesh (31 December 2019). "Chhath Puja: The festival of Sun God, cleanliness, equality and fraternity" . Lokantar . Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2021 .
^ Tripathi, Piyush (6 November 2016). "Chhath the most eco-friendly festival: Environmentalists" . The Times of India . Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2021 .
^ Tripathi, Piyush Kumar (28 October 2014). "Ode to god of green things" . The Telegraph India . Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2021 .