Not just Bihar: How Chhath Puja’s popularity has spread across the world

Chhath Puja is widely celebrated in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh. It is also an auspicious festival in Nepal, which follows rituals identical to India.

Thursday (November 7) marked the third day of the Chhath Puja, with the festivities set to end on Friday. The Hindu festival honouring the Sun has traversed beyond India. The Indian diaspora in the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries has taken the celebrations to foreign shores.

Let’s take a closer look.

What is Chhath Puja?

Chhath Puja is a four-day celebration honouring the Sun and Chhathi Maiya for bestowing a long, healthy and prosperous life.

Its unique rituals involve praying to the rising and the setting Sun while standing in a body of water. The festival is observed six days after Diwali.

The first day of Chhath Puja is known as naha kha, where devotees can consume a meal only after a ceremonial bath in a river or a pond, as per Indian Express. Water is carried from the water body and is used to make a stove. It is also used to prepare meals for those observing the fast for the rest of the festival.

Over the years, those who are unable to access a waterbody, partake in the rituals at home.
Kharna is the second day when the person observing the fast eats only one meal of roti and rice pudding (kheer) in the evening. Family and friends come together on this day to prepare thekuas, or flour cakes made with sugar or jaggery fried in ghee.

Devotees begin a 36-hour fast, after the meal of roti and kheer, during which they cannot even drink water.

The third day is the sanjh ka arag when devotees gather at the banks of a water body to offer prayers to the setting Sun.

Standing in knee-deep water, they offer seasonal fruits, sugarcane and special delicacies kept in soops (cane baskets) to the deity.

The same ritual is performed the next day when devotees pray to the rising Sun, known as Bhor ka Arghya. They seek the blessings of Surya and Chhathi Maiya for health and prosperity.

Chhath around the world

Bihar, eastern UP and Nepal have been observing Chhath Puja for centuries. Recently, the festival has reached countries with a sizeable Indian population.

Hundreds of Indian Americans gathered in Virginia on Wednesday (November 6) to mark the second day of Chhath Puja. A woman told PTI that it was unusual for Americans to see such a big vermilion tika on the forehead but now they have become accustomed to the site.

“Now even the Americans come to ask for prasad. When we give them thekua (fritters), they are happy to eat it. It was possible to celebrate Chhath beside the river because of my friends here. In the first year, it was just seven to eight families who started the celebration, but now a lot of families come to the ghat, so it feels really good,” she said.

In many parts of the US such as San Jose, New York, Chicago and New Jersey, Chhath Puja is celebrated with enthusiasm and a notable scale.

Like in India, devotees here gather around lakes or other water bodies to pray to the Sun but if that is not accessible, they use inflatable pools or artificial water bodies.

“People are so used to it that you get all puja ‘samagri’ (materials for offerings) in the local stores. For instance, a few years ago we procured bamboo soops from India. But not any more,” software engineer Tarun Kailash, who is based in San Jose, told Times of India (TOI) last year.

Indians celebrating Chhath Puja has become a common occurrence in the UK’s London, Leicester, and Birmingham. As per an Outlook report, Indian associations take the lead in organising the festivities.

In Canada’s Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, Indians come together to mark Chhath Puja braving the cold weather, the report added.

Indians residing in Australia’s Sydney and Melbourne and New Zealand’s Wellington and Auckland also honour the Sun God, staying in touch with their Indian roots.

Mauritius, where Indian-origin people comprise 70 per cent population, celebrates Chhath Puja with much fervour. In fact, the government even declares a public holiday on the occasion. Mauritius has a significant Bhojpuri-speaking population that observes the festival, with beaches as well as temples dedicated to the Sun God reporting bustling activity, as per Outlook.

Chhath Puja has reportedly become a popular festival in Sri Lanka due to the significant Indian population in the island nation.

The Bihari community in Singapore marks the festival with devotion and joy, observing traditions similar to those in India.

With inputs from agencies