Chhath Puja is celebrated every year with pure faith and trust in the religion. The 2024 Chhath Puja is on 7th November. Today all the Hindus gather to worship Lord Surya and his wife Goddess Chatthi Maiya. Sun is worshipped in many civilizations and cultures but, this Puja is the only Puja where sun is worshipped from sunrise till sunset. This week is considered as full of devotion and spirituality, this Puja is specially performed in states like Eastern UP, Bihar, and Jharkhand.
History and Importance of Chhath Puja
According to tradition, Lord Rama and goddess Sita performed chhath puja upon their return on 14 years of exile. They worship the Sun God, and Goddess Sita keeps a fast to get blessings. Draupati who was wife of the 5 pandavas also use to keep the same fast to seek victory of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata.
Chhath Puja is a 36-hour fast, which involves no water during Puja. The Puja is performed in water bodies like lakes, ponds, and rivers where sunset and sunrise is visible. This relation with water and sunlight is clean not just the body, but also the spirit, which directly promotes overall well-being.
| Dates | Name of Puja | Timings | Names |
| 5th November 2024 | Nahay Khaaye | Sunrise: 6:15 AM
Sunset: 5:52 PM |
Chaturthi |
| 6th November 2024 | Kharna | Sunrise: 6:15 AM
Sunset: 5:52 PM |
Panchami |
| 7th November 2024 | Sandhya Argha | Sunrise: 6:15 AM
Sunset: 5:52 PM |
Shashthi |
| 8th November 2024 | Usha Argha | Sunrise: 6:16 AM
Sunset: 5:52 PM |
Saptami |
Samagri for Chhath Puja
- Water (Pani)
- Turmeric (Haldi)
- Areca nut (supari)
- Ginger plant (Adrak ka Podha)
- Red vermilion powder (Laal Sindoor Powder)
- Agarbatti or incense sticks (Agarbatti)
- Milk (Doodh)
- Pear ( Naash Pati)
- Jaggery ( Gudd)
- Water jug (Jug bhar paani)
- Plate (Thal)
- 2 Bamboo baskets (Doo bans ki tokri)
- New clothes (Naye Vastre)
- Coconut filled with liquid (Paani wala Nariyal)
- Bamboo or sugarcane sticks (Bans ya Ganne ke dande)
- Sandalwood (Chandan)
- Rice (Chawal)
- Ghee Diya (Ghee ka Diya)
- Sindoor (Sindoor)
Things you should do before and during the Chhath Puja
House cleaning: clean your house before Puja is a must to maintain sanctity and purity, because a clean house always attracted good health and prosperity.
Prasad: Make prasad which includes kheer, fruits, and satvik foods.
Shop on time: Do all the shopping before a week because few days before Chhath Puja, there’s a lot of traffic and rush in the market.
Wash and Dry Wheat: Wheat is a very important part of Chhath Puja, the washing and drying of wheat represents cleanliness and purity.
Sandhya and Usha Argha: Dress properly while doing Argha Puja in water. Try to stay calm and maintain silence to be able to focus while worshiping the Sun.
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