Chhath Puja in Nepal is done since long ago and it is the ancient festival dedicate to the sun god. It is the only Vedic festival dedicate to the sun god. He is called Surya devata in Sanskrit. People worship Surya Devata and his wife Usha for sustaining life on earth with their grace. People show their affection toward the sun for providing continuous blessing toward all living things. Surya devata is consider the god of energy, and lord of life force. He is worship to promote the prosperity and well-being of human life. This festival is about showing gratefulness to the sun for sustaining life on earth. The rituals of this festival are focus on the process of sun sustaining Life rather than worshipping an idol. This festival is mostly celebrated by the women’s but we can see some men keeping fast along with their family member.
Devotees of the sun god carry out the different ritual in this festival. The devotees go to the nearest holy river and take a dip in the flowing water. They worship the sun and moon and prepare an offering of kheer bananas and rice. After they provide the offering to their family and the fasting begins for 36 hours without water. This makes the body more sensitive and the sunlight is absorbed by the body to its fullest. On the third day, they worship the setting sun and Chhathi Maiyya. After the worship in the morning of the fourth day, women break their fast and have a feast with their family. Delicious food is prepared and eaten on this day.
Belief on Chhaat
It is believe that the sun can help in healing several health conditions. The sunlight also guarantees well-being and long life. The rituals of this festival are beneficial to the human body. The ritual takes place for 4 days and the last day is the epic the conclusion of the festival but the third day looks beautiful as the light up incense and oil lamp and flow them in the river while the sun is setting in the background. Fasting, holy bathing, prayer, meditating standing in water. Fasting on the Chhath festival acts like detoxifying the whole body.
It is believe that human can enjoy the maximum benefits from the sun in certain conditions and the ritual of Chhath festival match those conditions. Fasting on this festival and taking in sunlight in early morning and evening allows intake of vitamin D. Vitamin D is responsible for the absorption of calcium in the body. The worshippers will be able to intake natural calcium through fasting and worshipping sun.
Positive things of this Festival
Holy bath in this festival in this festival also has several health benefits. Taking a cold bath in the morning increases the immunity towards disease. The body will feel refreshed and stronger after dipping the whole body in the flowing river. It is believe to maintain balance and blood circulation in the body. Praying and meditating in the water makes the mind calm and more focused. The prayer helps to create bonding among the society members who are also performing the ritual along with many other devotees. The meditating in the early morning remove the negative feelings and thoughts of a person. This festival ensures the physical and mental detoxification, making the person more energetic and healthier.
There are some holy texts that show the ritual taking place in ancient times. This festival is one of the oldest rituals perform in the Hindu religion. There are some mythologies that state the rituals of Chhath festival taking place. Warrior karma from the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata is believe have gained superhuman strength from observing Surya puja. It states that in ancient times those who were on strict meditation did not consume any food or liquid for days or even weeks. Instead, they took the nutrition from the direct sunlight to sustain their body during the mediation.
What this festival do
This festival promotes the throwing out all the negative thoughts and toxin from both body and mind. This festival is celebrate while being frugal so it does not have an economic burden to the family. People donate and share the food with family, relatives and needy. There is no jealousy, hatred, fear, and anger present in this festival. This festival is really unique because of the benefits from every aspect to the person following this festival. For more festivals celebrated in Nepal please explore our website. If you are planning your trip to Nepal and want to explore and enjoy the culture of Nepal contact red carpet journey.
