The four-day Chhath festival began on Sunday with Nahay Khay. Day one saw thousands of devotees offering prayers to the Sun God across the city. The ghats reverberated with traditional songs, as many women sang devotional songs dedicated to the Sun God as they took the holy dip.
The vratis (who observe the rituals and fast) started following the rituals from Sunday that will continue till November 18 after offering the arghya to the rising sun. The first day is marked by taking a dip at the river and cleaning the house. Also the vratis take one meal this day which is rice and bottle gourd. Nahay Khay is followed by ‘Kharna’ which will be organised tomorrow on the second day. “Our festival connected with devotion to the Sun God who is considered as the source of life on this earth and is regarded as wish fulfiller. All the preparations have been done and we started with having ‘lauki bhaat’ today,” said Rani Singh, who resides in Birsanagar.
Devotees are a bit happier this time as the cost of the fruits and puja paraphaernalia have remained similar to last year. Inspite of the inflation and price rise, bottle gourd was available at Rs20 a kg which otherwise is sold at Rs60 especially this time of the year. Coconut was also available at Rs20 a kg and sugarcanes was being sold at Rs40. Clay chulhas are available at Rs150-200 while baskets also known as daura are available at Rs50. “Chhath is celebrated six days after Diwali. It is associated with faith, purity and devotion to the sun, the only god we can see. We took a bath in the holy river and cleaned ourselves before preparing food,” said a housewife sporting a new cotton sari, especially bought for the occasion.
It is perhaps the only time of the year that people, forgetting differences of caste, colour and creed, stand alongside and pay obeisance to the Sun.
Makeshift markets have come up in different localities of Jugsalai, Bisutpur, Sakchi to sell fruits and other commodities like baskets and Rssoonp’, used by Chhath devotees for paying obeisance to the Sungod. Another woman, Ruby Sinha, said the ‘’ritual of Nahai-Khay is a symbol of purity and strict discipline. On Saturday the main offerings, Argya, will be given to the sun god on the river banks, Sinha said.
During the festival, married women observe a fast for 36 hours and devotees traditionally offer wheat, milk, sugar cane, bananas and coconuts to the sun.