The four-day Chhath Puja began on Tuesday with 'Nahay Khay'. Hundreds of devotees from Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, now living in Uttarakhand, took dip in the rivers, ponds and makeshift water bodies and also prepared traditional dishes and offered obeisance to the sun, the primordial source of life and energy for earth and the people living on it.
Chhuth Puja being one of the most sacred festivals celebrated in Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, the people of these states wherever they are offer prayers to the Sun during the period the puja is held.0
Tuesday morning saw the 'pravratis' (devotees) cleaning wheat which would be used for preparing 'prasad' as part of the 'nahay-khay' rituals. Markets were abuzz with men and women buying 'dauras', 'soops', baskets, coconuts, fruits and earthen stoves to be used in the puja. Bihari Mahasabha members, on the other hand, were found busy finalizing the preparations of the ghats as a sea of devotees would offer 'arghya' (obeisance) to the setting Sun on Thursday.
Across Uttarakhand, Nahay Khay was held at various places along the rivers like Tapkeshwar, Raipur, Chandrabani, Maldevta and Rispana while the same was held at several places in Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital districts.
One of the Bihari Mahasabha office bearers said that Chhath puja is being organised at seven places in the state capital under its banner. According to them, cleanness drives were launched along the rivers where the puja would be held.
The devotees and the local residents were participating together in the cleanness drives, they said, adding that after taking bath, the devotees prepared rice, pulse and vegetable dishes with bottle gourds.
In Dehradun, draped in new cotton saris, the woman devotees were seen thronging the rivers and other water bodies since early Tuesday morning. A devotee said "We have to first take bath and prepare the meal. We then perform the rituals of 'Nahay-Khay' (first day of the festival) that marks the beginning of Chhath Puja."
She further said "Nahai-Khai epitomises purity and strict discipline. It will be followed by 'kharna' on Wednesday, when 'kheer' would be prepared and after the prayer is offered, it would be distributed among the neighbours, friends and relatives." According to her, she would keep fasting and praying for the next three days.
On Thursday evening, the devotees would offer prayers known as 'argya' to the Sun when it is setting and follow this up by offering prayers to the ascendant Sun on Friday morning. During the festival, devotees observe a fast for 36 hours. Devotees offer wheat, milk, sugarcane, bananas and coconuts to the Sun by way of worshipping the deity.