With the likelihood of Chhath Puja being declared a holiday, thousands amongst the one-third Purvanchali population of the national Capital is ready to celebrate the occasion with great fervour on the banks of the Yamuna, ponds in their neighbourhood or any makeshift water arrangement even in their highrise apartments.
For the last couple of years, Delhiites too have started responding to the festivities and extending their harmonious support. The festivities began on Monday with the first puja known as Nahey-Kha (bathe and then eat), Tuesday will be called Kharna (prasad made of gur to be eaten by family members except for the person fasting). The first prayer to the Sun God, called Chhathi Maiyya will be on Wednesday, which is called Shaam Ka Arghya and culminate with the morning arghya on Thursday marking the end of the four-day Chhath Puja celebrations.
Meanwhile the Delhi Government has made all arrangement for Chhath Puja in all the ghats of the Yamuna. Rescue boats with lifeguards, barricading near ghats and fire engines are in place to prevent a tragedy. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has asked Haryana’s Irrigation & Flood Department to release water in Yamuna for Chhath. lakhs of Purvanchalis are expected to observe Chhath.
“This time the cleanliness on ghats for Chhath Puja is associated with the Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan. This cleanliness drive is an integral part of the cleaning of the areas for the puja,” said Kunal, District Magistrate (East). Disaster management teams too have been put into action.
However, owing to unsatisfactory arrangements, a group of representatives of Dharmyatra Mahasangh wrote to the Deputy Governor about the condition of ghats. These include ghats of Suryaghat, Haiderpur, Ashok Vihar JJ Colony and Shalimar Bagh.Each year on the sixth day following Diwali, this festival is celebrated with much gusto. As part of the puja, women observe a fast for a straight 36 hours for the well-being of their families.
The first day Nahey-Kha (Monday) marks the beginning of the puja when vratis (devotees) take a dip in the holy water and also bring the water home to cook meals for the day. The rituals of Chhath Puja are observed from this day onwards.
On Kharna, an entire day’s fast sans water is observed by the devotees. This is the second day of the four-day long festivity. In the evening, the fast is broken after puja. The prasad (offering) is distributed among family and friends, comprising of rasiao kheer, puris, paan-suparis and bananas. The rasiao kheer, which yields a special importance in this puja, is prepared on an earthen stove and stoking the fire with mango wood.
“All four days are spent in fun and festivity. We all reunite on these days and take time off work to celebrate Chhath. We visit the ghats on all four days and offer prayers for the well-being of our loved ones,” said Manoj, a vrati.
The vratis (devotees) observe fast without consuming a drop of water on the third day of puja known as Sandhya Arghya. The entire day passes in preparing the prasad. The offerings include thekua, coconut, banana and other fruits, which are taken in bamboo soop winnows. All the family members and friends assemble at the ghats and offer arghya to the setting sun.
“The most beautiful part of the puja is Kosi, which is celebrated after consuming the evening prasad in the house courtyard. lit diyas are kept beneath five sugarcane sticks,” said Shruti, a resident of Mayur Vihar. Bihaniya Arghya or the morning offering marks the last day of Chhath Puja. Family and friends assemble at the ghats where the devotees offer arghya to the rising sun. After the puja, women break their fast with ginger and sugar.