Bihar Chhath Puja, Day 3 - संध्या अर्घ्य I World Famous Thekua (Bihari Cookies) Prasad Making

On the third day of Chhath Puja, devotees offer Sandhya Argha to the setting Sun God. This auspicious day begins with the preparation of thekua, a fried biscuit-like snack made of wheat flour, sugar and ghee, by the fasting members of the family. This process is laborious as the thekua needs to be fried on a low flame to ensure it is well-cooked. The ladies of the house wake up before dawn, clean the house, take a bath and then start with the preparation. They begin by kneading the dough with the flour that was milled the previous day. It's no wonder that this process entails a lot of time. Our host, Savita ji, began to make thekua at 4 am and could complete it by 11 am as she had to make a huge batch. Once it was over, we accompanied her husband to the market to purchase some fruits and other necessities. Once all the thekua were fried, Savita ji began arranging the baskets called soops with miscellaneous items for offering. She arranged five such baskets, each for her family members. Throughout the process, she enlightened us with numerous anecdotes anethe rituals and stories behind this festival. These were then placed in a bigger basket and carried to the riverbank where the offering was to be made to the setting sun. A huge crowd had gathered for the same and people were happy and elated. Upon returning home, Savita ji got involved in the 'koshi bharna' ritual, where a specific clay pot is filled with some of the offerings and is worshipped as a symbol of the Chatti goddess. This is followed by devotional songs. The female members continue with their fasts. Everyone retired early because they have to reach river bank before dawn for bhoriya argha. About the host: https://anubhavsapra.com/ Facebook:   / delhifoodwalks   Twitter:   / delhifoodwalks   Instagram:   / delhifoodwalks   Design and filmed by Rahul Singh   / iamrahulsingh.2   Text by Swetaleena Nayak