Preparation for Puja

It is a relevant tradition regarding Chhath Puja if a family start offering puja then the family should continue the tradition of puja. If any case the family do not able to offer the puja, they should co-operate or assist friends, relatives, neighbours or some one else who is performing the puja.

It also believed that helping or assisting devotees give fruitfull result to the person who helps them. There are so many people who use to carry the baskets containing offerings to the ghats.

Utensils are cleaned and purified to cook offerings (Prasad). Devotees use to sleep on the floor on a single blanket during puja. Foods and Prasads (offerings) are cooked with dry wood on new oven made of brick and soil. Garlic and Onions are kept away. Rock Salts, Pure Ghee, Sugar etc. are used.

Devotees use to stand in knee deep water or waist deep water at the time of offering “Arghya” to setting or rising Sun. New cloths are essential for devotees. Devotees use to wear unstiched cloths (as per local tradition).

Visitors touch the feet of devotees and get prasad. No one hesitate in demanding prasad from even a strangler.

Devotees are mainly women called Parvaitin derived from Sanskrit means ‘ocassion or festival’. Devotees are mainly women but a large number of men also the main worshiper.

Devotional folk songs are sung both at home and on the banks of river or pond in the honour of “Surya Dev” and “Chhathi Maiyya”.All the road goes towards the ghats are cleaned and decorated. Ghats are decorated with colourful papers, ribbons , banners and lights.