Chhath Puja in Hyderabad, all you need to know about the 4-day-long ritual

Hyderabad: Chhath puja is here and the enthusiasm of the festivities can be felt everywhere. The ancient hindu Vedic festival marks the most enjoyable time frames for the people of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh as all the family members come together to celebrate the festive occasion with joy. Unlike other Indian festivals, this one is […]

Hyderabad: Chhath puja is here and the enthusiasm of the festivities can be felt everywhere. The ancient hindu Vedic festival marks the most enjoyable time frames for the people of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh as all the family members come together to celebrate the festive occasion with joy. Unlike other Indian festivals, this one is dedicated to the worship of Lord Surya and Chhathi Maiya.

The festival is celebrated on the sixth day of Karthika Masam. The devotees believe that worshipping of Lord Surya for the span of four days, leads to their well being, overall development and prosperity of their family. 

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Chhath Puja important dates

First day (8 November)

First day of the festival is called “Nahay Khay ” wherein the devotees bathe in the nearby water body, especially in the river Ganga. The devotees then have lunch prepared through Kaddu (bottle gourd) and rice. The women who are called vrattis, eat only once in the day. 

Second day (9 November) 

Second day of the festival is called Kharna, wherein the vrattis fast for the whole day. After the sunset, vrattis prepare kheer as prasad and break the fast. The devotees offer prayers to Chhathi Maiya.

Third day (10 November)

The third day of the festival is called Sandhya which means evening. The devotees head to water bodies and worship Sun god by singing folk songs. During the sunset, devotees offer water to diya  (it’s taken as a replica of the Sun)  with fruits and ‘thekua’, the prasad made of jaggery and flour. 

Fourth day (11 November)

The last day of the ritual is called Usha Arghya, which involves the devotees offering prayers to the rising sun. As the fourth day comes to an end, the devotees break their fast, by having prasad and sarbat. 

A resident of Kukatpally Yash says, “coming from a Bihari family, Chhath puja is the most awaited festival for me and my family. Each day of this four-day-long ritual has its own importance; from performing pujas, making tasty prasads and visiting the nearby water-body to worship the Sun god.” 

GHMC makes arrangements for the festival

For the smooth conduct of festivities in the city, arrangements have been made at 42 water bodies by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The civic body made sure that amenities like pandals, tents and shamianas, illumination, drinking water and temporary change rooms and washrooms are available to devotees.

The Urban Development Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar said in a tweet, lakh of devotees are expected to visit the nearby water bodies for the festival. He noted, the festival is mostly celebrated by people hailing from Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh.

#Chhath Puja

Elaborate arrangements incl cleaning, setting up of toilets, lighting, shamiyana & availability of water being done by @GHMCOnline at 42 locations👇🏻 for successful conduct of #Chhath (#छठ_पूजा) on Nov 9-11th

>lakh devotees #Bihar, #UP, #jharkhand expected@KTRTRS pic.twitter.com/ujzLO8ewP7

— Arvind Kumar (@arvindkumar_ias) November 8, 2021

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