Chhath begins in Singrauli on Nov 13, markets crowded with devotees buying puja items

The Chhath festival in Singrauli district will begin on November 13 with nahay-khay. Preparations for the four-day ritual have started. Families at the district headquarters, as well as those living in the NCL's Amlohri, Jayant, Dudhichua and Nigahi projects, are making ready.

Crowds are gathering in the markets to buy puja items. People are buying soop (winnowing baskets), daura (bamboo baskets), sugarcane, new rice, jaggery and seasonal fruit. The ghats are being cleaned and other arrangements are being made.

On the first day, the vratis (devotees observing the fast) will bathe and, after worshipping the Sun, eat a sattvik meal. The meal will include arwa rice, chana dal and a pumpkin vegetable dish. Kharna will be observed on November 14. That evening the vratis will partake of prasad of jaggery kheer and roti. A 36-hour nirjala fast, without water, will then begin.

On the evening of November 15, the vratis will offer arghya to the setting Sun in rivers, ponds and other water bodies. The four-day ritual will conclude on the morning of November 16 with arghya to the rising Sun.

Pandit Narayan Dwivedi said Chhath is observed on the Shashthi tithi of the Shukla Paksha of Kartik. Particular attention is paid to purity and self-restraint. The vratis fast for the well-being and prosperity of the family and the welfare of their children. During these days, sattvik food is cooked in homes, and garlic and onion are not eaten.