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Thursday 3 April 2014

Chhath Puja Festival

Hi,friends, this is the third day of the A to Z challenge. In the series of Festivals of India, I present an amazing festival of Bihar and Jharkhand, called Bihu.


   

   
Chhath  Puja is a very important festival of Bihar and Jharkhand which is celebrated with
        great enthusiasm It is celebrated with the same spirit in places where people


from this region have settled down, especially in Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai Mauritius, 

Fizi Island, Trinidad, Tobago,Guyana,Surinam and Jamaica.The festival is dedicated to Sun

God. People worship the Sun and thank Him for all His mercies and for the well being 

their near and dear ones. The festival falls on sixth day after Diwali.The rituals of this 

festival are rigorous. They last for three days. During these days vratta(fast) is 

observed. On one of these days even drinking of water is also prohibited. The 

devotees stand in a river  for a long time,  Holy bath is taken  and Prasad is offered to 

Sun God, who is the God of energy and life force and can cure all diseases.

                    
                        
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There are many stories associated with the origin of this festival. The kings invited the 

purohits for their expertise in Sun worship.It was on their advice that Sun worship 

began. The most popular story associated with the festival is from an incident taken 

from Mahabharata. The story goes that when Draupadi observed Chhath Puja, it


 resulted in Pandavas getting back their kingdom. Another folk lore states that 

Karna, son of Surya (Sun) started the  tradition   of Chhath Puja. The photographs  

given below give a glimpse of the holy festival.
                                                                          
                                          


                                      

The main worshipers are women. They pray for the prosperity, good  health, well being of the family and their off springs. Men do not observe this fast. They accompany  the women. If  once a family starts observing the puja, it cannot be left. They have to pass it on to the next generation.


293words
pics courtesy google
video courtesy  you tube




35 comments:

  1. A nice account of Chhath puja.... have seen it in Patna:)

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    1. Thank you Rahul. Even in Delhi, we find a large number of people from Bihar and Jharkhand celebrating this festival.

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  2. Totally new to me !! Lovely, Ma'm...thanks for sharing :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Sreeja. Here this festival is widely celebrated.

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  3. Another nice account of a different festival in India...I'm loving it :)

    Random Thoughts Naba

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Naba.Tomorrow I'll be writing about Deepawali.

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  4. Interesting Usha, tks our country abounds in colourful myth-origin festivals isnt it and that makes life much more rich. A student of mine from Jharkhand told me about this last year :)

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    1. Yes Sunila, most of our festivals are based on legends. They depict the rich culture of our country and are a fine example of Unity in Diversity.

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  5. So nice that you are taking us on "festival" tour of India :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Beloo. You have to bear with me 27 more festivals

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  6. Informative and nice :) :)

    ~S(t)ri
    Participant|AtoZ Challenge 2014
    Smile, it makes (y)our day!

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  7. I think I've seen the women going in a procession with pots of their heads. The toughest part is the fasting - without water - how tough would that be in a weather like this.

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    Replies
    1. Yes Tulika, they have to be without water for 32 hours.Must be really tough.

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  8. Oh I am bookmarking this for my daughter :) She is at the age when she asks questions about significance of rituals and that Draupadi bit will attract her for sure :) Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Shailaja. Children are very inquisitive. Very sweet. Hugs to her. What is her name?

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  9. Fascinating and informative! ♥

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  10. Am getting onto this festival tour...Very informative with the background details. Thanks for sharing this...Will look for more.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Jayanta. This is only a start. You have to tolerate 27 more.

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  11. :-) Didn't know about this! Thank you Mrs.Usha!

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  12. that was a nice description....and very informative...

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  13. Lalu would be happy to read this post

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    Replies
    1. Thank you BK. I think I should send a copy to him.What say thou?

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  14. That's a lovely one, Ma'am. Our family has settled in Mauritius and Mom often perform Chhath Puja.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Vishal. Best wishes to your Mom.

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    2. Thanks a ton, Ma'am:)

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  15. Another festival I didn't know of!! Am realising how little I know about our Indian festivals!!

    Swathi

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Swathi.I am also learning so many new things from the blogs of my friends.

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  16. Never knew all these details, very informative Ushaji :) In fact it was when Rabri Devi's celebration made news headlines, that I first heard of this festival.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Reshma. In Delhi politicians woo people from all states. All festivals are celebrated here.

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  17. Didnt know much about Chhath Puja, only that my maids take leave on this day and celebrate it with great faith and fervor :)

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    Replies
    1. Yes Shilpa maids are very enthusiastic.

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