Chhath Puja 2022: Story behind the festival that has roots from 11th century

The Chhath Puja festival is a four-day festival that started with Nahai Khai ritual on Friday (October 28) and will conclude with offering of Argha to Sun God on Monday (October 31) morning. Millions of people are celebrating it, especially in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and even some parts of Nepal. 

What is Chhath Puja? Chhath Puja is a Hindu festival historically native to the Indian subcontinent. The end of the Diwali festival marks the beginning of the festival of Chhath. 

• It is a festival dedicated to the worship of the Sun God (Lord Surya) and his wife Chhati Maiya, also referred to as Lord Usha. 
• The fast is observed by both men and women across India with women fasting more than 36 hours without a sip of water. 
• The third day of the festival is based on the main prasad called Thekua. Surya Arghya is performed by devotees on the nearby river banks, ponds or other water bodies.This year the day falls on October 30, 2022.

Four days of festivity: Today, marks the main event, according to the Hindu calendar (October 30), on which the festival is celebrated. 

Prior to that, there have been two days known as Nahaye Khaye and Kharna. 

Tomorrow will mark the last day of the Chhath which is known as Usha Arghya. Each day in this four-day cycle signifies a special meaning. For instance, on the first day, (October 28) devotees took a holy dip in a water bodies.

Chhath might have roots in the 11th century: Many believe that during the 11th century, kings of the Gahadwal dynasty started worshipping the Sun from Banaras (now Varanasi).

The Kings of Gahadwals were loyal worshipers of the Sun and they worshipped it by dipping themselves in the holy water, which is believed to be later evolved into Chaath Puja.

However, before the Gahadwal dynasty, the worship of the Sun was done since the Rigvedic period. In Rigveda, Sun was worshipped as a mother. 

If you celebrate this festival, Happy Chhath Puja! and let us know in the comments how you celebrate it.