Celebrating Chhath: The Confluence of Nature, Human And Society

When the Earthy smell of Mitti chulha envelopes the air in Bihar and the state is marooned with the ambrosias of Ghee and thekua, you know our biggest festival has arrived. When the rest of India prepares for the offset of the festive season, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh gear up for their biggest celebration- Chhath.

Biharis from across the country and even around the world book the earliest tickets home to attend the celebration with their families. To anyone outside that community, Chhath signifies some mouth-watering Thekua, Kheer and some simple yet heart-warming delicacies. But the festival, its intent, significance, and rituals hold much more meaning than just the Prashad. A festival celebrating well-being, growth and regeneration of all life on earth. Being practitioners of sociology, the themes of empowerment and inclusion and the cultural significance of it all become relatively easy to deter, and yet it remains almost oblivious to the rest of the populace. Tracing ancient mythology, it becomes obvious how cultures of the Orient have often been linked to prosperity, fertility, and the cycle of life with a feminine characterisation of the Sun. Be it Sol in Norse mythology, Saule of Baltic culture or even Isis (Goddess of Agriculture) in Egyptian culture, women have always been given the stature of the Creator.

During Chhath, the focal point of worship is also the Sun - Chhathi Mai, the mother. She is believed to grant prosperity, longevity, and children to the worshippers. The Puja is said to have healing powers on diseases like leprosy which result in many others joining it. Chhath reigns as one of the few festivals where women were given an upper hand during the worship and are still considered very important to carry out the rituals essential to completing the Puja. The four days of Chhath, India witnesses as women, young and old, clad in red and yellow sarees, feet adorned with Aalta, and a wide stretch of sindur from the tip of their nose to their foreheads, participate in the festivities with all their heart and vigour. They are free from the profane world for these four days as they do not take part in any household activities and devote all their time to cleaning the chulha (stove) and the kitchen where the Prashad for Chhathi Maiya is prepared. Instances like this, where women were often seen as observing abstinence from household chores, can be seen in numerous ancient Vedic rituals. This can stand testimony to the fact that the unpaid and unrecognised work that all our women do in the household that go unnoticed today, were acknowledged in the past and they were given a rest from it. A controversy was born revolving around the rituals of this festival. It is believed that to worship Chhathi Mai, one needs no intervention from priests. Anyone could do the Puja; all were equal, and all were welcome.

Chhath reigns as one of the very few festivals where women were given an upper hand during the worship and are still considered very important to carry out the rituals essential to complete the Puja.

It is also normally seen that an elder of the family does the major pujas in the festival. This gives rise to the question that maybe this was a unique festival which did not require the procedures to be followed. It defied the caste hegemony and promoted harmony in true sense.

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Mostly being celebrated in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Chhath consists of elaborate rituals, folk culture, food and is a major marker of Ancient Vedic beliefs. People indulge in meticulous preparations which have been passed on from one generation to the other. Spanning over four days, the festival is a major cultural heritage of the community. The first day is called “Nahan Kha '' when devotees cleanse themselves in Ganga. This is considered a preparatory step where the body and the soul is cleansed and made ready for the Chhath Vrat, or the rigorous fasting. It is followed by a simple meal of kaddu bhaat that prepares the stomach for the next rituals as Kaddu has high nutritional value and balances the Vrati's (the one observing the fast) digestive system. Worshipers take a vow to maintain the fast and offer Chhathi Mai a meal that they later eat as prashad. 

Celebrating Chhath

“Kharna”, the second day, starts with an early bath at dawn at the Ganga and the repetition of the vow. A fast start after the bathing and arrangements to make Kheer and vegetarian dishes that they share with family and friends after offering it to the Goddess, after sundown. This shared meal is the last one before the Nirjala vrat (fasting even without water). On the third day, special bamboo baskets called Dala, containing thekua, fruits and other items, are made and carried by a man of the family on foot to the banks of the Ganges to offer to Chhathi Mai in the evening.

The third day marks a grand gathering of people to witness worshippers take a bath and offer the Dala to the Goddess. There is also the transfer of oral traditions in the form of folk songs from women of one generation to another which keeps alive the essence of the community and makes it unique. The last day of the festival starts with the bathing and the offering like the previous day. New items fill the basket and are offered to the goddess along with devotional songs being sung.

The fourth day marks the end of fasting with the holy meal of the Parana. Clay Elephants with Diya is kept inside a Kosi which is made with sugarcane sticks. It is usually done in pairs. This is the one with 24 kosis (in the photo) usually it’s believed that if a person has a Mannat and it gets fulfilled, he has to fill one Kosi. It is done during the sanjhiya arag after the vratin performs the offering.

Growing up in Bihar and major regions where this festival is observed, I have often noticed devotees distributing Thekua and fruits to everyone irrespective of caste and class. People in metropolitans remain unaware of the uncomplicated yet insightful beliefs behind these festivals. With slight regional changes, the fundamental rituals of Chhath teaches us the importance of solidarity, simplicity, and a sense of harmony.

Dr Aditi Narayani and  Debarati Mitra have co authored the article. The views expressed are the author's own.

Picture Credit : Aditi Narayani Paswan and Shinjini Singh