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In Chhath Puja, different offerings are made on different days to express gratitude, devotion, and respect for Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya.
- Day 1 – Nahay Khay: Devotees take a holy bath and eat simple, pure food.
- Day 2 – Kharna: Devotees offer kheer, chapati, and fruits, then begin a strict fast.
- Day 3 – Sandhya Arghya: The setting Sun is offered fruits, thekua, sugarcane, and other seasonal produce to express gratitude.
- Day 4 – Usha Arghya: Offerings are made to the rising Sun to pray for health, happiness, and prosperity.
The offerings in Chhath Puja have religious, cultural, and symbolic value. They express gratitude to Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya for life, health, and prosperity.
- Thekua: Represents tradition, devotion, and homemade prasad.
- Fruits: Symbolize health, nourishment, and nature’s blessings.
- Sugarcane: Represents sweetness, prosperity, and agricultural abundance.
- Rice and kheer: Symbolize purity, nourishment, and well-being.
- Coconut: Represents auspiciousness and devotion.
- Diya (lamp): Symbolizes light, hope, and the removal of darkness.
The kheer cooked on the second day of Chhath Puja (Kharna) is offered to Chhathi Maiya and Surya Dev as a sacred prasad. It is usually prepared with rice, milk, and jaggery.
Importance: It symbolizes purity, devotion, simplicity, and gratitude. After offering the prasad, devotees eat it and begin their strict fast, which continues until the morning Arghya on the fourth day.
Jaggery (gur) is important in the Kharna kheer of Chhath Puja because it symbolizes purity, simplicity, prosperity, and sweetness in life. It is traditionally used instead of refined sugar and adds a natural sweetness to the sacred prasad offered to Chhathi Maiya and Surya Dev.
The Terai region is a lowland area located along the southern foothills of the Himalayas, mainly in Nepal and northern India. It is known for its fertile soil, forests, rivers, and agriculture. In Bihar, the northern areas near the Nepal border share some characteristics of the Terai region.
Chhath Puja is special because devotees worship both the setting and rising Sun, expressing gratitude to Surya Dev for life, energy, and prosperity. It is known for its strict fasting, purity, simplicity, and devotion. It is especially popular in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Nepal.