Thousands of housewives along with their family members gathered on the banks of the Ib river and other water bodies of Brajrajnagar, Belpahar, Bandhbahal and Jharsuguda to pray before the rising sun in wiker baskets for the well-being and prosperity of their families on Friday.
Being a predominantly industrial hub, Jharsuguda district is home to many families from Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, and has a sizeable population of people from these three States. However, the festival is celebrated with equal fervor by Rajasthani, Chhattisgarhi and local Sambalpuri women as well.
On the first day which is called NahaKhaye, devotees, especially Chhath vrati women, took bath early in the morning and prepared rice, gourd, and pulse. Suman Yadav (65), a devotee said that on the second day of Puja on Wednesday, which is known as ‘Kharna’, the devotees observed fast for the whole day and in the evening they cooked kheer and roti on earthen chullas, which were then distributed as prasad. During the festival, married women observed a fast for 36 hours and devotees offered milk, sugarcane, wheat, coconuts and bananas to the Sun god. On the third day on Thursday, the devotees performed the Chhath Puja by standing in the Ib river and other water bodies of the district.
The festival began with the worship on Tuesday with the setting sun and ended with the worship of the rising sun on Friday early morning