KATHMANDU, Oct 27: Chhath, an ancient Hindu Vedic festival historically native to the Madhesh province and Mithila region of Nepal and Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh states of India has concluded on Friday.

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 and to request the granting of certain wishes. On the final day of the festival, the worshipers reach the river banks or ponds and make offerings such as grains, and various home-made delicious foods to the rising sun.

Chhath is observed over the period of four days. Hindu devotees take holy bath, fast, stand in water for long periods of time, and offer prasad  and arghya to the setting and rising sun. The worshipers observe purity, and sleeps on the floor on a single blanket or on a separate bed.

Chhath starts on Kartika Shukla Shashthi, which is the sixth day of the month of Kartika as per the Nepali Calendar.

Main message of the Chhath festival is coordination, inclusion and sanctity. The festival is a collective resolution made under the leadership of women for the welfare of society and family-which is the crucial aspect of the festival.

The Sun considered as the god of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress as per the time-honored tradition.

The Chhath festival has been observed as common cultural symbol of the Tarai.

Here are some photos of the final day of Chhath at Kamalpokhari, Kathmandu.

Photos: Mukunda Kalikote

HIMANSHU CHAUDHARY, JANAKPURDHAM, Oct 26: Chhath – a festival of holiness, good will and faith – is being celebrated today with fanfare.

The revelers have been enthusiastically celebrating the festival on the banks of the pons and rivers such as Sarobar Gangasagar, Dhanushsagar, Ramsagar, Biharkunda, Rukminisar, Argaja, Maharajsagar and Agnikunda since last night.

The main ritual of the four-day Chhath festival is being observed by worshiping and making offerings to the setting sun.

The Chhath festival observed as common cultural symbol of the Tarai is celebrated as per religious tradition and much fanfare.

The festival is dedicated to the sun God, with offerings made to the rising and setting sun. It is observed for four days, from Kartik Shukala Chaturthi to Kartik Shukla Saptami as per the lunar calendar.

It usually falls between October and November in the Gregorian calendar. The Sun considered as the god of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress.

The ritual of Chhath Parba includes taking holy bath, fasting, standing and worshiping the sun for a long time and offering Prasad and Argha to the ‘Rising and setting Sun”.

Chhath is a festival of bathing and worshipping that follows a period of abstinence and segregation of the worshiper from the main household for four days. During this period, the worshiper observes purity, and sleeps on the floor on a single blanket.

This is the only holy festival which has no involvement of any pandit (priest).The devotees offer their prayers to the setting sun, and then the rising sun in celebrating its glory as the cycle of birth starts with death. It is seen as the most glorious form of Sun worship.

KATHMANDU, Oct 18: President Bidya Devi Bhandari attended a reception hosted by Vice-president Nanda Bahadur Pun on the occasion of Tihar, Chhath and Nepal Sambat 1138 festivals in the capital on Wednesday.

Also present on the occasion were ministers, former prime ministers, former chief justice and former speaker, heads of constitutional bodies, heads of diplomatic mission, political party leaders, high-ranking government officials, industrialist and social workers.

Photos: Mukunda Kalikote

Kathmandu: Government has decided to grant a public holiday tomorrow on the occasion of Chhath festival.
Issuing a communiqué today, Ministry of Home Affairs has announced the nationwide public holiday for Friday to celebrate Chhath festival.
The festival is observed most elaborately in Terai regions of Nepal including in Bihar and Jharkhand states of India.
People of Terai celebrate Chhath festival in the capital city too by congregating around ponds and streams in Ranipokhari, Thapathali, Aurighat, Balkhu, including other places.
Chhath is dedicated to the Hindu Sun God, Surya.The Sun, considered the god of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress.
In Hinduism, Sun worship is believed to help cure a variety of diseases, including leprosy, and helps ensure the longevity and prosperity of family members, friends, and elders.
The rituals of the festival are rigorous and are observed over a period of four days. They include holy bathing, fasting and abstaining from drinking water (Vratta), standing in water for long periods of time, and offering prashad (prayer offerings) and arghya to the setting and rising sun.