People in Nepal, especially Nepalese living in the southern plains, are celebrating the main day of Chhath festival on Tuesday by offering puja to the setting sun.
Devotees across Janakpur celebrated the festival around lakes, ponds and rivers including Agnikunda, Argaza, Biharkunda, Dhanushsagar, Gangasagar, Ramsagar and Rukmini Sarobar. Similarly devotes in the Kathmandu valley mainly the Bagmati River bank and the ponds like Kamal Pokhari, Taudaha and other water resources were full to worship the setting sun.
Chhath Puja is the Hindu festival wherein worship the ‘Sun God’ for four days. It is a festival that symbolizes faith, good will and purity.
As part of the four-day celebrations, devotees dip themselves in rivers, maintain cleanliness & purity and observe fasting (without water) and abstinence from non-vegetarian dishes, grains including buckwheat, lentil & millet and a few other spices.
Devotees offer ‘arghya’ by paying special homage to the setting sun on the evening of November 13, 2018 and concluded the celebration by worshipping the rising sun on the morning of November 14, 2018.
There’s a popular belief that those, who fast during Chhath, get rid of poverty and miseries. The Sun God becomes happy when devotees offer him bunches of fruits, so goes the belief.
Poor people, who don’t have the means to offer puja to the Sun, do so by seeking help from others.
They also pray for the happiness, prosperity, wellbeing and longevity of their family members. Chhath Puja delicacies include Thekuwa and rice pudding.