Kolkata celebrates Chhath Pooja, 2016 : One of the most ancient Hindu rituals for the Sun God in India.
Blessings from the eldest worshiper of the family.
My Experience of Chhath
I am a permanent resident of Kolkata, but I never witnessed the celebration of Chhath Pooja here. Lakhs of migrant residents from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other states of India and Nepal as well, celebrated their most ancient festival along the bank of river Hoogly, the sacred river that flows through the city. On 6th November this year, around 2pm, I went to a famous ghat on the bank of river Hoogly opposite to Eden gardens. It was an unique photographic journey to witness how people performed their rituals with so much devotion and faith. I saw hundreds of devotees sitting on the banks quietly with their offerings to Sun God and some performing their rituals with half of their bodies immersed in the Ganges, and some with fire, called ‘Homas’. I was closely looking at them, and I was amazed by their dedication, devotion and complacency. Thousands of devotees were found proceeding towards the Ganges with their offerings, all cladded in bright clothes and ornaments, and many were found on their way to lay prone on the roads touching their whole body (Ashtanga or eight parts of the body) on the Earth and performing ‘Dondis’(Surya Namaskara -Sanskrit: सूर्यनमस्कार, Sun Salutation). Many of the family members, including newborn kids were found lying on the roads waiting for the main worshipper of the family to crossover their bodies as a way to get blessings from them. Most of the main family worshippers were found to be the eldest ladies of the family. Through Chhath, I rediscovered my religious India, in a new and beautiful way.
Chhath Pooja
Chhath is an ancient Hindu Vedic festival of worshiping Sun God, as the Rigveda contains hymns worshiping the Sun God and describes similar rituals.Historically it is native to eastern Uttar Pradesh, North Bihar of India and Mithila State of Nepal.The Chhath Puja is dedicated to the Sun and his wife Usha in order to thank them for bestowing the bounties of life on earth.The God is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress. In Hinduism, Sun worship is also believed to help cure a variety of diseases, including leprosy, and helps ensure the longevity and prosperity of family members, friends, and elders. Environmentalists claim that Chhath is the most eco-friendly Hindu festival.
Regions Celebrating Chhath
Although the festival is observed most elaborately in Mithila Province of Nepal,Terai-Madhesh region of Nepal, Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and UP, it is also more prevalent in areas where migrants from those areas have a presence.The festival is celebrated in the regions including but not exclusive to the northeast region of India, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Gujarat, as well in various countries worldwide.
Timings
Chhath puja is performed on Kartika Shukla Shashthi, which is the sixth day of the month of Kartika in Bengali calender. This falls typically in the month of October or November in the Gregorian English Calendar.
History
The rituals also find reference in the Sanskrit epic poem Mahābhārata in which Draupadi is depicted as observing similar rites. It is assumed that the oldest Purohits were requested by the kings to come and perform the traditional pooja of the Lord Sun. They used to chant the ancient Rigveda texts and a variety of hymns for worshiping the God. In the ancient time of Mahabharata Chhath pooja was celebrated by Draupadi and Pandavas of Hastinapur (present Delhi) for solving their instant problem and regaining their lost kingdom. It is also assumed that the Chhath puja was first started by the Surya Putra (son of Sun God) Karna. He was a great warrior and had ruled over the Anga Desh (Munger district of Bihar) during the Mahabharata period.
Ethymology
The word chhath means sixth in Nepali, Maithili and Bhojpuri languages and the festival is celebrated on the sixth day of the month Kārtika of the Hindu lunar Bikram Sambat calendar.The word is a Prakrit derivation from the Sanskrit ṣaṣṭhi, meaning sixth.
The Goddess who is also worshipped during the famous Chhath Puja is known as Chhathi Maiya. Chhathi Maiya is known as Usha in the Vedas. She is believed to be the beloved younger wife of Surya, the sun god. The rituals signify rising sun as well as setting sun.
Rituals and Traditions of Chhath Puja
It is believed that worshipers of the Chhath take holy bath and follows a period of abstinence and become separate for 4 days from the main family. Throughout the period he is believed as the pure spirit and sleep on the floor having single blanket.
Devotees offer prasad to Sun at the Chhath such as sweets, Kheer, Thekua, bananas and other fruits included in a small bamboo tokari. The prasad is cooked without salt, onions or garlic with maintained purity. It is a four days festival which includes:
On the first day, devotees take bathe early in the morning in the holy water of Gange and bring some holy water to their home to prepare the offerings. The home and its surroundings should be cleaned at this day. They take only one meal a day known as kaddu-bhat cooked only by using the bronze or soil utensils and mango woods over the soil stove.
On the second day, the day before Chhath, devotees keeps fast for whole day and break their fast in the evening after sunset after the worship of Sun. They offer Rasiao-kheer, puris, fruits in the puja. After taking meal in the evening, they go on a fast without water for the next 36 hours.
On the third day (day of Chhath) they offer the Sanjhiya Arghya at the ghat of riverbank. After Arghya, they wear the single saree of turmeric color. Other family members are waiting for getting the blessings from worshiper. At the night of Chhath a vibrant event of Kosi is celebrated by lighting the lamps of clay diyas under the covering of five sugarcane sticks. The five sugarcane sticks indicate the Panchatattva (earth, water, fire, air and space) the human is body made up of.
On the early morning of the fourth day (Paarun), devotees along with their family and friends offer Bihaniya Aragh at the ghat of riverbank of Gange. Devotees end their festival through breaking the fast by having the Chhath prashad.
Six levels of purification in Chhath ( a belief)
The belief of fast and cleanliness of body on the festival identify the detoxification of the body and mind in order to set up the body and mind to accept the cosmic solar energy.
Standing in water with half of the body inside the water diminishes the escape of energy as well as facilitates the prana to elevate to the sushumna.
Then the entrance of cosmic solar energy takes place in the pineal gland, pituitary gland and hypothalamus (known as the Triveni complex) through the retina and optic nerves.
In the 4th stage Triveni complex gets activated.
After activation of the Triveni complex, spine gets polarized and body of devotee gets transformed into a cosmic powerhouse and gets the Kundalini Shakti.
At this stage the devotee is fully able to conduct, recycle and pass on the energy into entire universe.
Benefits of the rituals (a belief)
Devotee of the Chhath puja can improve the immunity of body.
A variety of skin infections can be cured through the safe radiations of sunlight.
It increases the fighting power of blood by improving the performance of WBC.
Solar energy provides the power to control the secretion of hormones.
Significance
Chhath puja has a special significance during the Sunrise and Sunset periods. The Sunrise and sunset are the most important periods of the day during which a human body can safely get the solar energy without any harm. That’s why there is a myth of offering the Sanjhiya Arghya and Bihaniya Arghya to the Sun at the Chhath festival. During this period the solar energy has low level of ultraviolet radiations so it is safe for the human body. People perform the Chhath puja in order to thank the Lord Sun for the lives on the earth as well as to get blessings.
The ritual of Chhath puja provides mental calmness (by detoxifying the body and mind), enhances the energy level and immunity, reduces the frequency of anger, greed and jealousy as well as lot of negative emotions. It is also believed that following the Chhath processes helps in slowing down the ageing process. Such beliefs and rituals of the Chhath make it the most significant festival in the Hindus ever.
[ Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhath and www.varanasi.org.in/chhath-pooja ]
Kolkata celebrates Chhath Pooja, 2016 : One of the most ancient Hindu rituals for the Sun God in India.
Blessings from the eldest worshiper of the family.
My Experience of Chhath
I am a permanent resident of Kolkata, but I never witnessed the celebration of Chhath Pooja here. Lakhs of migrant residents from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other states of India and Nepal as well, celebrated their most ancient festival along the bank of river Hoogly, the sacred river that flows through the city. On 6th November this year, around 2pm, I went to a famous ghat on the bank of river Hoogly opposite to Eden gardens. It was an unique photographic journey to witness how people performed their rituals with so much devotion and faith. I saw hundreds of devotees sitting on the banks quietly with their offerings to Sun God and some performing their rituals with half of their bodies immersed in the Ganges, and some with fire, called ‘Homas’. I was closely looking at them, and I was amazed by their dedication, devotion and complacency. Thousands of devotees were found proceeding towards the Ganges with their offerings, all cladded in bright clothes and ornaments, and many were found on their way to lay prone on the roads touching their whole body (Ashtanga or eight parts of the body) on the Earth and performing ‘Dondis’(Surya Namaskara -Sanskrit: सूर्यनमस्कार, Sun Salutation). Many of the family members, including newborn kids were found lying on the roads waiting for the main worshipper of the family to crossover their bodies as a way to get blessings from them. Most of the main family worshippers were found to be the eldest ladies of the family. Through Chhath, I rediscovered my religious India, in a new and beautiful way.
Chhath Pooja
Chhath is an ancient Hindu Vedic festival of worshiping Sun God, as the Rigveda contains hymns worshiping the Sun God and describes similar rituals.Historically it is native to eastern Uttar Pradesh, North Bihar of India and Mithila State of Nepal.The Chhath Puja is dedicated to the Sun and his wife Usha in order to thank them for bestowing the bounties of life on earth.The God is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress. In Hinduism, Sun worship is also believed to help cure a variety of diseases, including leprosy, and helps ensure the longevity and prosperity of family members, friends, and elders. Environmentalists claim that Chhath is the most eco-friendly Hindu festival.
Regions Celebrating Chhath
Although the festival is observed most elaborately in Mithila Province of Nepal,Terai-Madhesh region of Nepal, Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and UP, it is also more prevalent in areas where migrants from those areas have a presence.The festival is celebrated in the regions including but not exclusive to the northeast region of India, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Gujarat, as well in various countries worldwide.
Timings
Chhath puja is performed on Kartika Shukla Shashthi, which is the sixth day of the month of Kartika in Bengali calender. This falls typically in the month of October or November in the Gregorian English Calendar.
History
The rituals also find reference in the Sanskrit epic poem Mahābhārata in which Draupadi is depicted as observing similar rites. It is assumed that the oldest Purohits were requested by the kings to come and perform the traditional pooja of the Lord Sun. They used to chant the ancient Rigveda texts and a variety of hymns for worshiping the God. In the ancient time of Mahabharata Chhath pooja was celebrated by Draupadi and Pandavas of Hastinapur (present Delhi) for solving their instant problem and regaining their lost kingdom. It is also assumed that the Chhath puja was first started by the Surya Putra (son of Sun God) Karna. He was a great warrior and had ruled over the Anga Desh (Munger district of Bihar) during the Mahabharata period.
Ethymology
The word chhath means sixth in Nepali, Maithili and Bhojpuri languages and the festival is celebrated on the sixth day of the month Kārtika of the Hindu lunar Bikram Sambat calendar.The word is a Prakrit derivation from the Sanskrit ṣaṣṭhi, meaning sixth.
The Goddess who is also worshipped during the famous Chhath Puja is known as Chhathi Maiya. Chhathi Maiya is known as Usha in the Vedas. She is believed to be the beloved younger wife of Surya, the sun god. The rituals signify rising sun as well as setting sun.
Rituals and Traditions of Chhath Puja
It is believed that worshipers of the Chhath take holy bath and follows a period of abstinence and become separate for 4 days from the main family. Throughout the period he is believed as the pure spirit and sleep on the floor having single blanket.
Devotees offer prasad to Sun at the Chhath such as sweets, Kheer, Thekua, bananas and other fruits included in a small bamboo tokari. The prasad is cooked without salt, onions or garlic with maintained purity. It is a four days festival which includes:
On the first day, devotees take bathe early in the morning in the holy water of Gange and bring some holy water to their home to prepare the offerings. The home and its surroundings should be cleaned at this day. They take only one meal a day known as kaddu-bhat cooked only by using the bronze or soil utensils and mango woods over the soil stove.
On the second day, the day before Chhath, devotees keeps fast for whole day and break their fast in the evening after sunset after the worship of Sun. They offer Rasiao-kheer, puris, fruits in the puja. After taking meal in the evening, they go on a fast without water for the next 36 hours.
On the third day (day of Chhath) they offer the Sanjhiya Arghya at the ghat of riverbank. After Arghya, they wear the single saree of turmeric color. Other family members are waiting for getting the blessings from worshiper. At the night of Chhath a vibrant event of Kosi is celebrated by lighting the lamps of clay diyas under the covering of five sugarcane sticks. The five sugarcane sticks indicate the Panchatattva (earth, water, fire, air and space) the human is body made up of.
On the early morning of the fourth day (Paarun), devotees along with their family and friends offer Bihaniya Aragh at the ghat of riverbank of Gange. Devotees end their festival through breaking the fast by having the Chhath prashad.
Six levels of purification in Chhath ( a belief)
The belief of fast and cleanliness of body on the festival identify the detoxification of the body and mind in order to set up the body and mind to accept the cosmic solar energy.
Standing in water with half of the body inside the water diminishes the escape of energy as well as facilitates the prana to elevate to the sushumna.
Then the entrance of cosmic solar energy takes place in the pineal gland, pituitary gland and hypothalamus (known as the Triveni complex) through the retina and optic nerves.
In the 4th stage Triveni complex gets activated.
After activation of the Triveni complex, spine gets polarized and body of devotee gets transformed into a cosmic powerhouse and gets the Kundalini Shakti.
At this stage the devotee is fully able to conduct, recycle and pass on the energy into entire universe.
Benefits of the rituals (a belief)
Devotee of the Chhath puja can improve the immunity of body.
A variety of skin infections can be cured through the safe radiations of sunlight.
It increases the fighting power of blood by improving the performance of WBC.
Solar energy provides the power to control the secretion of hormones.
Significance
Chhath puja has a special significance during the Sunrise and Sunset periods. The Sunrise and sunset are the most important periods of the day during which a human body can safely get the solar energy without any harm. That’s why there is a myth of offering the Sanjhiya Arghya and Bihaniya Arghya to the Sun at the Chhath festival. During this period the solar energy has low level of ultraviolet radiations so it is safe for the human body. People perform the Chhath puja in order to thank the Lord Sun for the lives on the earth as well as to get blessings.
The ritual of Chhath puja provides mental calmness (by detoxifying the body and mind), enhances the energy level and immunity, reduces the frequency of anger, greed and jealousy as well as lot of negative emotions. It is also believed that following the Chhath processes helps in slowing down the ageing process. Such beliefs and rituals of the Chhath make it the most significant festival in the Hindus ever.
[ Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhath and www.varanasi.org.in/chhath-pooja ]