Patna, 28 October . Chhath, the four-day festival of folk faith and sun worship, concluded today in an atmosphere of complete devotion and faith with the offering of Arghya to the rising Lord Bhaskar.

With the first rays of the morning, a crowd of devotees gathered at the ghats. The fasting women and men stood in the water and prayed to the Sun God for happiness and prosperity of their family and society.

The scene of Usha Arghya on the fourth day of Chhath Mahaparva was very charming. A large number of devotees and devotees were present at the artificial ghats built on river Ganga, ponds, ponds and roofs of houses in the district. The atmosphere was resounding everywhere with shouts of “Jai Chhathi Maiya”. Women dressed in traditional attire, with dauras on their heads, stood in the water carrying thekua, fruits, coconuts, and other offerings. As soon as the redness of the sun emerged on the horizon, the devotees folded their hands and offered Arghya and prayed to Chhath Maiya for the welfare of their families.

Chhath festival started with Nahay-Khay. After this, on the second day, the devotees performed puja at Kharna by making prasad of jaggery kheer and roti. On the third day, in the evening Arghya, Arghya was offered to the setting sun and on the fourth day, the festival ended with offering Arghya to the rising sun. This festival is considered a symbol of complete purity, restraint and purity, in which the devotees keep a waterless fast for 36 hours.

The district administration had made special arrangements for security and cleanliness regarding the Chhath festival. Teams of NDRF, police forces, and health workers were deployed at various ghats. Due to proper arrangement of cleanliness, lighting and barricading, full care was taken to ensure that the devotees do not face any inconvenience.

Amidst the devotional atmosphere, cultural colors were also visible on the ghats. The atmosphere remained immersed in devotion with the echo of traditional songs. Songs like “Kelwa ke paat par, ugele Suraj Dev…” kept resonating on the ghats. There was an atmosphere of happiness with the distribution of Prasad in the homes of the devotees.

During this ritual which lasted for four days, an atmosphere of faith and purity was seen in the entire district. People returned to their homes from far away places to participate in this holy festival. Chhath was celebrated from rural areas to cities.

Along with offering Arghya to the rising Lord Bhaskar, the devotees broke their fast and distributed Prasad among the family members. With this, the great festival of Chhath came to an end, but this energy of reverence, faith and devotion is still present in the hearts of the people, which makes this festival the soul of folk culture.

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/ Surbhit Dutt