Chhath Puja 2022: Dos And Don’ts To Follow During The Festival

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Chhath puja is a day on which pujas are conducted to Lord Sun who is the giver of life on this planet. It is going to arrive on Sunday, 30 October 2022 this year. Chhath Puja is seen as an occasion to thank Lord Sun for all his favours and then to seek blessings from him for specific wishes.

This is an ancient Vedic festival that is observed by Maghaj people, Maithil and Bhojpuri locals in the states of Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Nepal. Chhath Puja begins on Chaturthi Tithi of Shukla Paksha of Kartik month and ends on Kartik Shukla Saptami.

It is a four-day long ritual that begins with offering arghya to the Sun on the evening of the first day and includes holy dip, fasting, nirjal upavas, performing rituals standing chest deep in the river, praying to the rising and setting sun, offering prasad and prayers. Chhath vrat, also known as Chhath Parva or Dala Chhath or Surya Shashthi.

It is observed by all North Indians with great reverence and pomp. It is celebrated on the Kartik Shukla Paksha Shashthi. The rituals observed on all four days, have some important connotations associated with them. Chhathi Maiya blesses one with offspring and always protects them, It is very important to take care of the minute details of the vrat and not flout the restrictions in any manner so that Maiya's blessings are obtained in a wholesome way. The ritualistic restrictions are as follows.

Chhath Puja 2022: Things To Do

• The first day of Chhath requires you to complete your morning rituals of bath, cleaning the house, and then preparing food.
• Rasiyav - On the second-day chapati is to be consumed and Rasiyaav in the evening, which is a kheer made of jaggery that can be eaten with chapati and fruits.
• On the third day evening, Arghya in a bamboo basket containing fruits, Thekua and rice laddus should be offered to Sun God.
• Offer milk and water to Sun as Arghya and worship Chhathi Maiya with prasad.
• Listen to the vrat katha at night and sing religious songs.
• On the fourth day, Usha Arghya is to be offered to the rising sun on the banks of the river.
• After worship, end the fast by drinking sherbet and eating prasad.
• Make sure your hands and feet are washed with clean water before preparing the prasad.
• Assist the other devotees in drying the washed wheat for worship and also preparing prasad.
• Strict avoidance of common salt in prasad and replacing it with rock salt is required during these four days.
• If one is performing Chhath Puja, it is important to offer prayers to the rising sun, after which the fast is broken.
• Keep a pure mind and attitude and ask for forgiveness for any mistake knowingly or unknowingly committed from Chhath Maiya.

Chhath Puja 2022: Don'ts

• Do not prepare for Chhath Puja before you take bath and clean the house.
• Do not use tamasic foods like garlic, onion and non-vegetarian food during Chhath Puja.
• Do not use common salt in Prasad.
• Do not consume prasad or even check the taste, before offering it to the deity. Do not let children consume a portion of it before offering it to Lord.
• Old or torn bamboo baskets must not be used for worship.
• Do not get annoyed with anyone. Be peaceful, reverent, and peaceful as this will augur well for the family's prosperity and well-being.
• The Matsya Purana and Narada Purana give special importance to Chhath festival. Chhath Maiyya is a very large-hearted merciful deity who is also likely to be annoyed with slightest mistakes. So take care about even the minute details and worship her in full earnest. Cleanliness hygiene and purity are the three elements that need to be conserved at any cost on this day.
• Utensils for this festival must not be touched with impure dirty hands. Keep the Chhath items away from children.
• Nothing that is mixed with anything else and broken into pieces should be offered to Chhathi Maiyya, even if animals have tampered with the fruits and flowers they should not be offered in puja. Clean flowers and fruits are to be offered as per the rule.
• You should be on fast when you offer the prasad to Maiya. Hence the song of Chhath "Marbo Re Sugwa Dhanukh Se, Suga Gire Murjheye. Oo je sugni je, adit hoi na sahay" As per the story this line represents, Sugwa the parrot, just because it pecked on the coconut that was reserved for the Chhath puja, got killed by anarrow aimed at it by some hunter. Sugmi prays to Maiya for reviving the parrot as a result of which the parrot is restored back to life.
• Do not use onion and garlic as ingredients for any dish prepared for the Chhath.
• Children must not be allowed to eat the prasad or to cut the fruits into pieces till the festival concludes.
• If someone is doing the Chhath Puja, see that you do not take nonvegetarian food. Drinking alcohol and smoking is inauspicious.
• Devotees performing Chhath Puja should not sleep on the bed for four nights of the vrat, and should not bad mouth anyone or even speak strongly about anything.
• All the puja ingredients should be stored neatly in one place and not scattered all over the place.

Disclaimer: The information is based on assumptions and information available on the internet and the accuracy or reliability is not guaranteed. Boldsky does not confirm any inputs or information related to the article and our only purpose is to deliver information. Kindly consult the concerned expert before practising or implementing any information and assumption.

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