Chhath festival being observed today

Kathmandu: The major day of the Chhath festival is being observed today, marking the ‘Shasti Tithi’ of the lunar calendar.

The main ritual of the four-day festival begins this evening with devotees offering prayers and Argha (holy offerings) to the setting sun.

On this day, worshippers stand in rivers, ponds, and lakes to honor the Sun God (Surya) and Chhathi Mata, the goddess believed to grant health, prosperity, and longevity.

After observing a fast and staying awake all night today, the devotees will worship the setting sun with offerings as a major part of the festival.

They offer fruits, sugarcane, thekua (a delicacy made of flour and sugar in ghee), incense, flowers, vegetables, coconuts, garlands, vermilion powder, lamps, honey, rice, sandalwood, money, cloth pieces, and other items.

These offerings symbolize gratitude towards the sun god for sustaining life on Earth, as the four-day festival is dedicated to the sun god and goddess Chhathi Mata.

The rituals include fasting, offering prayers to the rising and setting sun, holy bathing, and meditation while standing in water.

The festival is one of the country’s major festivals and is predominately celebrated in the Terai-Madhesh region. But nowadays it is also celebrated by different communities of people in hilly and mountainous regions.

Banks of rivers, streams, and ponds across the country were decorated with colorful lights, flowers, and festoons for the Chhath festival and crowded by the devotees.

President Ramchandra Paudel has conveyed his conviction that the Chhath festival will foster national unity among the Nepali people.

In a message of greetings issued today for Chhath Festival–2082 BS, he remarked, “I am confident that this festival will motivate the elimination of all forms of discrimination, bias, and inequality, including those related to class, ethnicity, and gender, thus enhancing national unity among all Nepalis, while also preserving and promoting indigenous culture and reinforcing mutual harmony.”

President Paudel further noted that the Chhath festival will play a significant role in achieving sustainable peace, good governance, development, and prosperity.

The festival of Chhath is celebrated with great reverence for the sun, water, and earth, involving the worship of the Chhathi goddess, performing rituals, and fasting, while vigilantly staying awake overnight along the banks of rivers, ponds, and lakes in a festive and joyful manner.

It is believed that fulfilling the Chhath fast correctly yields desired outcomes, enhances family well-being, and alleviates personal sorrows and troubles, ushering in auspiciousness.

President Paudel emphasized, “Recognizing that life on Earth is dependent on the sun, dedicating oneself both physically and mentally to remain at locations where water flows from the fourth to the seventh day of the bright fortnight of Kartik, offering milk to the rising and setting sun, and engaging in worship during this festival appears to assist individuals in fulfilling their responsibilities towards nature, fostering environmental awareness, as well as promoting family and social unity.

Similarly, Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav has conveyed his best wishes for the Chhath festival to instill a sense of nationalism among the citizens.

On the occasion of Chhath festival–2082 BS, he shared a message of best wishes today, stating, “I hope the Chhath festival will strengthen and further solidify the bonds of national unity and integrity, uniting all Nepalis in harmony, love, and cooperation.

The message reads, ‘The worship of the setting and rising Sun God is a defining feature of this festival. This reverence for the Sun God, who provides energy and sustenance to the entire planet, along with Chhathi Goddess, who blesses families with longevity and well-being, reminds us to appreciate the source of life.’