The four-day Chhath Puja began on Monday with hundreds of devotees in plain districts of Uttarakhand taking dip in rivers, ponds and makeshift water bodies, preparing traditional meals and offering obeisance to the Sun, the primordial source of life and energy for earth and the people living on it.
In Haridwar and Dehradun districts, Chhath Puja began with the ritualistic bath followed by the preparation of the traditional meal principally consisting of boiled rice and pumpkin on earthen ovens.
People hailing from Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country, who have been living with their families in Dehradun and other districts of the State for the past many years take the lead in offering prayers to the Sun during Chhath Puja.
The organisers were seen cleaning the surface alongside the bank of the rivers at many ghats (river bank) in Dehradun on Sunday and Monday. The devotees were seen purchasing items associated with the Chhath Puja paraphernalia in the markets.
A devotee said, “We have to first take bath and prepare the meal. We then perform the rituals of ‘Nahai-Khai’ (first day of the festival) that marks the beginning of Chhath Puja.” On Wednesday evening, the devotees will offer prayers known as ‘argya’ to the setting sun and follow this up by offering prayers to the rising sun on Thursday morning.
During the festival, devotees observe a fast for 36 hours and offer wheat, milk, sugarcane, bananas and coconuts to the Sun God.