Chhath festival concludes

The Kathmandu, Oct 28: This year’s Chhath festival concluded today by offering Argha to the rising Sun this morning.

The four-day festival that began last Saturday was celebrated with the main Pooja last evening and concluded today by offering Argha to the rising sun. This festival concluded with much fanfare by offering curd (Argha) to the rising Sun in the rivers and ponds across the country, including the districts of Kathmandu.

Chhath was marked grandly in the districts of Mahottari, Dhanusha, Siraha and Saptari in Mithila and others. The festival was celebrated with rituals on the banks of ponds, lakes and rivulets. The feature of the festival is to increase human beings’ interest in the truth and non-violence and encourage them to remain sympathetic to all living creatures.

The rising and setting suns are worshipped with devotion in the festival, which is considered an attractive system of prayers to the Sun God. There was a crowd of devotees and enthusiasts on the banks of ponds, rivers, rivulets and lakes during the festival.

Chhath is a festival of goodwill, faith, and social harmony as people from all backgrounds come together in a common place to offer worship to the Sun God. It is widely believed that appeasing the Sun God brings happiness, prosperity, well-being, and longevity to family members.

The devotees observed fasting the whole day and performed pooja for their ancestral deities to welcome the goddess of Sashti. Devotees consume fruits just once time in the second day of the Chhath festival. There is a tradition of offering Argha to the setting sun, worshipping it in the evening by observing fast on Kartik Shukla Sasthi — the main day of the festival.

On this day, devotees observe fasting and do not even drink water. There is a religious belief that no one will suffer from skin disease if Argha is offered by worshipping the Sun ritually.