Chhath has started. People in East UP / Bihar will be praying to Sun God and his sister.
Vedic literature talks of Savita. Savita could be pronounced with emphasis on the A as Savitaa or as Savit. This becomes synonymous with one single deity - the Sun. Later ages, Savita took the form of a female deity and got her place as sister of Surya.
In the Puranas, Savita is described as a golden female, who has golden hair, golden face and golden eyes. Somewhere, I think, this is the deity that became known as Chhathi , who is worshipped along with the Sun during Chhath Puja.
Surya or the Sun has a very prominent place as a supreme God in the Vedas. He is the source of all energy. In east UP and Bihar, it is said that the universe is a pond on which the Sun travels in all directions. Flowing water is thus considered sacred and as a path of the moving Sun, is worshiped.
Fairs are held and people go knee deep in rivers to offer their tribute to the Sun and his sister. There are different offerings made on different days.
Day one I was told, people will offer and then have lauki bhaat - rice and gourd.
Day two will kheer puri - rice pudding and fried what bread.
There are two more days and I am not too sure what they have on those two days, which I will need to find out.
I think on one of the days, they offer thekua, a dry bihari sweet, probably on the third day, and ginger is offered on the fourth day.
This is incidentally one festival, where the women have a bigger role to play.
Happy Chhath to All.
Vedic literature talks of Savita. Savita could be pronounced with emphasis on the A as Savitaa or as Savit. This becomes synonymous with one single deity - the Sun. Later ages, Savita took the form of a female deity and got her place as sister of Surya.
In the Puranas, Savita is described as a golden female, who has golden hair, golden face and golden eyes. Somewhere, I think, this is the deity that became known as Chhathi , who is worshipped along with the Sun during Chhath Puja.
Surya or the Sun has a very prominent place as a supreme God in the Vedas. He is the source of all energy. In east UP and Bihar, it is said that the universe is a pond on which the Sun travels in all directions. Flowing water is thus considered sacred and as a path of the moving Sun, is worshiped.
Fairs are held and people go knee deep in rivers to offer their tribute to the Sun and his sister. There are different offerings made on different days.
Day one I was told, people will offer and then have lauki bhaat - rice and gourd.
Day two will kheer puri - rice pudding and fried what bread.
There are two more days and I am not too sure what they have on those two days, which I will need to find out.
I think on one of the days, they offer thekua, a dry bihari sweet, probably on the third day, and ginger is offered on the fourth day.
This is incidentally one festival, where the women have a bigger role to play.
Happy Chhath to All.
Today is Kheer Puri and tomorrow will be the first Puja that is Puja of Setting Sun and day after tomorrow will be the Puja of Rising Sun,when people used to stand in knee deep water and waiting for the rising sun and do the puja once sun rises .
ReplyDeleteThat is what I know .