The festival of Chhath Puja is celebrated on the sixth day of Shukla Paksha of Kartik month. This time the festival of Chhath will start on October 28 and will end on October 31. On the day of Chhath Puja, Sun God and Shashthi Maiya are worshipped.
The festival of Chhath Puja begins with Nahay Khay and ends with offering Arghya to the morning sun. This festival is most celebrated in Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Along with this, it is also celebrated in Nepal. This festival is also known as Surya Shashthi.
Chhath Puja begins with Nahay Khay. On this day, the followers fast and consume just one meal in addition to having a holy bath in the river Ganga. This time Nahai Khay is on 28th October.
The second day of Chhath is called Kharna. Bhog is prepared on this day. Sweet rice or bottle gourd khichdi is eaten in the evening. The third day of fasting starts immediately after the offerings of the second day. This year Kharna is on 29 October.
In Chhath Puja, the third day is considered to be the most important. On this occasion, there is a tradition of offering Arghya to Lord Sun in the evening, and Arghya soup is decorated with Fruits, Thekua, Rice, Laddus, etc. in bamboo baskets. After this, the fasting along with their families offer Arghya to the Sun God and on this day the setting sun is worshipped. The first Arghya of Chhath Puja will be given on 30 October this year. On this day the time of sunset will start in the evening at 5:38 PM.
On the fourth day, Arghya is offered to the rising sun. This Arghya is given after fasting for about 36 hours. Arghya will be offered to the rising sun on October 31. Sunrise on this day will be at 6.32 AM. After this, the fast will end.
