Four days of hustle, and the finale; heart full of blessings and the hands full of prashad in the form of ‘Thekua’ (traditional Bihari specialty, cooked in jaggery, which tastes very much like modern biscuits), Gagal ( a variety of lemon of size of almost a handball), ganna ( sugarcane), and other seasonal fruits.
And, by now most of you must have guessed what event is being talked about!
Yes, It is The Chhath Puja; the signature festival of Bihar. This festival also finds its mention in the Rig Veda It has being practiced as one of the most important festival of Bihar and a few regions close to it. Now the festival is celebrated in almost all parts of India having Bihari diaspora. Many would also be surprised to know that Chhath puja is also observed in Mauritius, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Surinam and Jamaica, most obviously, the people from Bihar having migrated to these areas.
As a child, I always looked forward to this festival for getting ‘prashad’ of gagal from my grandma, my most favourite fruit, but now I wonder at the energy and will power of the ‘ Vratin’ (who observes the fast) and the rituals of the festival.
The rigorous of the ‘puja’ spread over a period of four days include holy bathing(naha-khai),evening puja of Kharana, fasting and abstaining from drinking water(for a period of continuous 36 hours) and standing in cold water in wet clothes during sunset of SANJHIYA ARAK and sunrise of BHORVA ARAK is a mark of mettle proved by the ladies. The Prasad (prayer offerings) and arghya is offered to the setting and rising sun.
The Sun, considered as the god of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress. In Hinduism, Sun worship is believed to help cure a variety of diseases, including leprosy, and helps ensure the longevity and prosperity of family members, friends, and elders.Leaving the rituals apart, one should look at the essence of the festival; how the lady of the house ( few gents also do fasting and puja) observes penance for the well- being of the family, despite being stopped by the family to not to undergo such a rigorous program of physical hardship. The strong belief of mitigating the impact of ailments and hardship of our worldly existence makes people take up the vrat. The experience narrated by many people that they have seen their desires getting fulfilled in reality, mainly related to the health, has made them take up such a difficult vrat(fast).
How unscientific or scientific may the belief be, it is purely a matter of one`s personal experience. The fact remains that every year number of devotees are getting added to those doing this puja. Had an opportunity of being part of Chhath Puja at Kaziranga
National Park, Guwahati, Assam. For some time I almost forgot that i was not amongst my family. And declaration of holiday on the occasion of chhath puja has increased its joy manifold.
