Patna. Kartik Chhath, the four-day festival of folk faith in Bihar, will start from tomorrow with Nahay-Khay. On the first day of this holy four-day festival of Sun worship, Chhathavrati devotees will start their fast by taking Arva food prepared in pure ghee, after taking bath in the pure and clean water of rivers and ponds with the resolution of not bathing or eating tomorrow for the purification of the conscience of men and women.
Devotees have started preparations for the festival from today itself. Preparations for the great festival Chhath are in full swing from home to ghat. Along with cleaning the house, the devotees are busy in purchasing puja materials for the fast. Some fasting people are busy picking rice for bathing and eating in their homes, while others are busy drying wheat on the terrace.
Special importance of wheat, rice and jaggery
Wheat, rice and jaggery have special importance in making Prasad on the great festival Chhath. Shopkeepers told that for the great festival Chhath, wheat has been specially procured from Madhya Pradesh and jaggery from Uttar Pradesh and Sitamarhi and Bhagalpur. The price of soup ranges from Rs 50 to Rs 100 depending on the size. The prices of Daura range from Rs 250 to Rs 500 in different sizes. On Chhath festival, there is a demand for an earthen stove for purity. Chhath festival is known for devotion and purity.
Women fasting for Chhath prepare Prasad of Nahay-Khay only on the earthen stove. Along with this, Prasad of Chhath festival is made on the earthen stove itself. Earthen stoves are available at the price of Rs 150 to 250. Coconuts are available for Rs 100 per pair, lids for Arghya are available at Rs 10 per piece, lamps at Rs 1 per piece, lamps with lids at Rs 25, Kalash at Rs 15 to Rs 30, incense sticks are available at Rs 15 to Rs 25.
Chhath puja committees and volunteers from different areas are also engaged in cleaning and decorating the Ganga ghats for the Chhath fasts. Along with this, archways are being built on the major roads leading to river Ganga and the entire route is being decorated with colorful bulbs.
On the second day of the festival, the devotees, after fasting throughout the day without taking water, perform puja at sunset and after that eat kheer made of milk and jaggery only once and drink water till the moon is visible. After this, his waterless fast of about 36 hours starts.
On the third day of this great festival of folk faith, the fasting people stand in rivers and ponds and offer the first Arghya to the setting sun. The fasting people offer Arghya with fruits and roots to the setting sun.
On the fourth and last day of the festival, the fasting people again offer second Arghya to the rising Sun in the rivers and ponds. Only after offering the second Arghya to Lord Bhaskar, the 36-hour waterless fast of the devotees ends and they take food. One specialty of this fast, which is observed for the happiness and prosperity of the family and for the relief from troubles, is that no priest (Pandit) is required to celebrate this festival, nor is there any need for chanting mantras.
Tradition of offering Surya Arghya by decorating fruits and vegetables
During Chhath Puja, fruits and vegetables are decorated in bamboo baskets and taken to the ghat and then there is a tradition of offering Surya Arghya. Apart from raw fruits, dalia also contains roli, sandalwood, vermillion, chapa, which is used in arghya. Other puja items are also available in the market.
Among these, vermillion, mauli thread, incense, ghee, cotton, lotus flower, almond, cardamom, cashew, alta leaves, walnut, fennel, clove, raisins, nutmeg, garland are also available.
Soups made of brass and bronze are also being purchased. Soups of all sizes, small and big, are available in utensil shops. Soups made of brass are available in the market for Rs 600 to Rs 1000. There is a tradition of making Kharna Prasad on a stove burnt with mango wood. Therefore, the importance of mango wood increases during the great festival. Mango wood is being sold at Rs 40-90 per kg.
Special importance of fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables have special importance in Chhath Puja and that is why shopkeepers in markets and markets are selling fruits and vegetables separately along with all the ingredients of Chhath Puja. At the same time, the market is buzzing with raw turmeric, raw ginger, raw coconut, banana, amla, custard apple, radish etc. Buyers are arriving to purchase fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables required for Chhath are also being sold at expensive prices. The prices of vegetables and fruits used in Chhath have increased. Pumpkins are being sold at Rs 30 to 70 per piece in the vegetable market.
