Hyderabad: The sunset on Saturday marked the commencement of the three-day Chhath Puja with ‘Kharna’, which is celebrated with gusto in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. People from the three states, who are settled or posted in the city, explained that the festival ushers in prosperity and good health.
Sunday’s festivities will begin with ‘Argh’. The devotees take a holy dip in nearby ghats around sunset. It will be a sunrise holy dip in the ghats on the second ‘Argh’ on Monday.
Sheela Devi from Balapur, who has been in the city for over two decades, is all excited, as she is celebrating the festival along with her four sons, their wives and grandchildren. “The festival is special for us,” she said. “We wear new clothes. We prepare sabji of kaddu, roti, kheer with milk and jaggery.”
Anuradha Pandey, assistant director at DRDO, who is also a radio jockey, explained, “We follow all rituals. It feels amazing when family and friends gather at Tank Bund each year.”
Swetha Pandey from Madhapur, said, “The people in the city never made us feel that we are away from our native place. The ghats here are decorated and bedecked for the occasion and bear a village atmosphere.”
Chhath Puja is a thanksgiving salutation to the Sun God, for His energy through which life exists. It is held on the sixth day after Diwali and is performed near a water body.
