In this article, you will get to know everything about Chhath Puja. Chhath Puja TIming, शुभ मुहुर्त , Chhath Puja Status & wishes.
Chhat puja ,as the name tells is celebrated on the shashthi tithi of kartik mas. It’s a grand eve for north Indians and it houses the beliefs of every positive indian . People gather at places called ‘Chhat ghats’ and offer prayers to the rising as well as the setting Sun, and thus the scenery is eye catching . It is one of the most valued n appreciable festivals in north India. Beyond these all pomp n shows, there’s a deep and inspirational story that made us celebrate this eve ,every year with great enthusiasm. Devotees keep fast for 3 continuous days and completes it after that.Usually ,feminine population is seen in abundance on chhat ghats.However , there’s no hard n fast rule ,as any devotee can perform this.Anyone can perform this puja either a male or a female depending on one’s reverence.Chhat puja includes worship of both surya dev and chhati maiya .Chaathi Maiya was the sister of Surya Deva and she loved his brother a lot ,so people pray to both of them.
What is Chhath Puja?
Chhath Puja falls on the fifth day of the moon according to the Hindu calendar. The four-day festival is a holy festival dedicated to the Sun god as Chhath is the Hindu deity. Chhath Puja is observed for four days, which start with the sunrise on the first day and last till the sun sets in the second day. It is considered to be the longest period of dark phase and so the sacrifices are done at the crack of dawn. The first day, known as the Shukla Paksha Chhath Puja (full moon day) or Khichadi Puja, is the fasting day in Chhath Puja.
On the second day, known as Chandi Chhath or Deepawali, people offer their prayers to the Goddess of prosperity, Durga. People also offer ‘namajapa’ to the goddess, places poojas and decorate their houses with flowers.
Importance of Chhath Puja
Celebrated in Odisha, the fourth day of Kartika is dedicated to worshiping the mother goddess. Chhath Puja is also known as the ‘Puja of humanity’, where devotees offer prayers to the goddess to keep her healthy, happy and prosperous. On the fourth day of the fortnight-long festivities, devotees offer prayers and take part in a ritualistic religious offering known as ‘Arghya’.
Before the onset of this parv, many governmental and non-governmental organizations arranges artificial water bodies and ponds for the so as to make spaces n special managements for the great chhat devotees. The same day is considered the most holy ever, as the sun rays falling on earth are most holy and pious . There are a numerous believes within the same festival as when the Pandavas from the holyperiod lost their every property in the royal gambling, then their queen Draupadi kept this fast and prayed for the same , and fortunately ,they got everything back with respect and love.
The festival is of ancient origin, but over the years, its importance has been diluted and even today, a section of people refuse to embrace it. It is not part of the annual rituals in certain sections of the Hindu community in western UP.
Chhath Puja is a special puja that takes place during the Hindu lunar month of Kartik. This year, it falls on November 10, 2021.
History of Chhath Puja
There are two versions of the origins of Chhath puja. One theory is that the practice was started by Hindu Brahmins in Bihar, and later spread to other parts of the country. The other theory says that it was started by the Bihari tribesmen and subsequently grew into a full-fledged religious festival. Some claim that Chhath was first celebrated in the 5th century during the rule of Chandragupta Maurya and this festival celebrates the goddess of prosperity, Maa Umaya. According to popular belief, Umaya was worshipped on the day of the full moon, which falls in October or November. On the day of this festival, Bihari farmers abstained from work and walked in a procession with their cattle and goats, covering almost 100 kilometers.
Apart from this, there’s another story of a King who didn’t have any child and thus desperately prayed to many believed deities but didn’t succeeded in getting them . Once a saint,on knowing this, made his wife eat a special sweet. Although they had a son after a few months, he was born dead. So, the King was disappointed and depressed and wanted to commit suicide. Suddenly ,a lady appeared and asked him to pray to Goddess Chhaati and disappeared. He did the same as told by her and with the blessings of chhati devi, he had a healthy baby boy,within an year .
Significance of Chhath Puja
It is a very important puja performed in Bihar and other parts of North India. In the Chhath puja people worship the Sun, with garlands, all the solar panels, and also offer prayers to all the celestial bodies and various creatures. It is also seen that people do not drink water and take water only after the sunset. They offer sandalwood paste, fragrant powder, vajra, and fruits to the Sun deity. It is believed that as the sandalwood paste has been offered, one would get benefits from their past problems. The candlelight light during the Chhath puja helps prevent various types of diseases. A special diet is also prescribed in this puja which includes channa, khichri, sattu, green vegetables, coconut, milk, and sugar.
From that time people started celebrating this auspicious moment. Not only in Bihar,people in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, also celebrate this MAHAPARV with the same spirit n joy.We all are blessed today with their hand on our head .May chhati maiya save us from this pandemic and give us the mind to live in a healthy and easy manner .
Chhath Puja Timing 2021
The Hindu calendar marks Chhath Puja for four days throughout Shukla Paksha (waxing part of moon) within the month of Hindu calendar month (October – November) on Chaturthi, Panchami, Sashti and Saptami tithis (fourth day, fifth day, sixth day and seventh day). the most Chhath puja is performed on the fourth and therefore the final day of Saptami (seventh day). In 2021, Chhath Puja days area unit marked from November eight to Veterans’ Day.
The main Chhath Puja rituals area unit performed on the third day of the Chhath Puja throughout Sashti tithi. the most activity on nowadays is termed Sandhya Arghya (water providing to sun god). The deities idolized on nowadays area unit the sun god, Usha (goddess of dawn), and Pratyusha (goddess of dusk). On nowadays, the sunrise time is 6:40 am and therefore the sunset time is 5:30 pm.
Chhath Puja 2021 Status
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