Chath puja performed by Students||Dav dhori #2024#viral

Chhath is an ancient Indo-Nepalese Hindu festival, native to Nepal and East India.[2] It is celebrated[3] especially in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Eastern Uttar Pradesh;[4][5] and the Nepalese Autonomous provinces of Koshi, Lumbini, and Madhesh.[6][7][8][9] In the major northern urban centres, hundreds of thousands of Nepalis and East Indians celebrate it in cities including Kathmandu Valley, Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta.[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 ProvinceChhath 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. Significance [edit] Chhath puja is dedicated to the Sun God Surya, as it is thought that the sun is visible to every being and is the basis of life of all creatures on Earth.[24] Along with the Sun God, Chhathi Maiya is also worshipped on this day. According to Vedic astrology, Chhathi Maiya (or Chhathi Mata) grants children long life and good health by shielding them from illnesses and diseases.[25] Description [edit] Chhath celebration at Rani Pokhari, a 17th-century pond in Kathmandu (2015)