Chhath Pooja festival or Surya Shashthi is celebrated on Kartik Shukla Shashthi of Hindu calender to worship Sun God and his wife Usha (Shashthi Maa) for prosperity and good fortune.
This year, the festival falls on November 20 amid the COVID pandemic to be marked by social distancing and confinement at homes.
Chhath festival is celebrated after 6 days of Diwali and the festival lasts for 4 days. Though the festival celebrated with great devotion and fanfare in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand and Madhesh region of Nepal, but Biharis and Bhojpuris all over the world celebrate this festival.
In Chhath festival, there is combined worship of the sunrise rays (Usha); sunset rays (Pratusha) and the Sun.
Holy bathing early morning,
Fasting and abstaining from drinking water
Standing in water for long periods of time
Prayers and arghya to the setting and rising sun
Standing in water out in light of the sun is beneficial for the health
Last year, I was in Kurukshetra (Haryana) and Biharies in thousands from Haryana and Punjab had gathered in the holy city to perform pooja by standing in the waters of Brahm Sarovar
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