Chhath Puja 2020: The 4-day Chhath puja celebrations continue and today marks the third day or Sandhya Arghya. This year Chhath puja will be held from November 18 to November 21 as people worship the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya. On the third day devotees, observe Nirjala Vrat which is fasting without drinking even water. Fasting ends on the fourth day after prayers are offered to the rising Sun by performing a ritual called Usha Arghya. Devotees also prepare offerings and wash all the fruits and other items for worship. Along with that special Thekua is also made using wheat, jaggery, and ghee. The timings for today is from Sunrise time - 6:48 AM
and  Sunset time - 5:26 PM.

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Due to Covid-19 several states have placed restrictions on the celebrations

Delhi: The Arvind Kejriwal government has issued an order directing all District Magistrates and DDCs of Police and all authorities concerned to ensure that Chhath Puja festival/celebration in November shall not be allowed at public places which include river banks and temple. Despite protests, the ban on public celebration is still in place. People have been encouraged to celebrate this festival in their homes or in a private place. Despite protests against the order, the Delhi High Court also refused to allow Chhath Puja celebrations at the ghats in the national capital.

Bihar: The Bihar government has appealed to people to observe the festival at home due to Covid-19. The administration has also urged devotees to not take a dip in water bodies during the Arghya. According to the instructions by the state Home Department, during the Chhath festival, people suffering from fever, people above 60 years, children below 10 years and people suffering from other serious diseases are advised not to visit Chhath Ghats. In addition, each person has been advised to use the mask and follow the mandatory social distancing.

Uttar Pradesh: The Yogi Adityanath government has also asked devotees to celebrate at home. Additional Chief Secretary of the state, Avneesh Awasthi said that social distancing should be followed in the places of worship and that wearing masks is compulsory. Women have also been asked to celebrate Chhath festival at home or near home.

Jharkhand: The state government had also placed a ban on Chhath puja in water bodies in order to control the spread of infection. According to a PTI report, the State Disaster Management Committee had released guidelines for the day such as  No stalls of any kind shall be set up near water bodies and bursting of firecrackers is not permitted in public places. But two days before the celebration, the government allowed ceremony at river banks.

Odisha: Mass celebration of Chhath Puja is prohibited in the state. This includes bathing at river banks due to the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday Chief Secretary A K Tripathy said since a large number of people gather at river banks there is a risk of spreading Covid-19.

Maharashtra: In Maharashtra also, due to the corona, the Uddhav government has issued guidelines and has put a ban on celebrating Chhath Puja at beaches, rivers, and ponds in Mumbai. Along with this, Mumbai Police has also been told to stop crowds of devotees from gathering in public places.

Bengal: CM Mamata Banerjee has also urged people to perform Chhath puja in their homes or neighbourhood ponds. Devotees will not be able to worship in two major water bodies of Kolkata, the Rabindra Sarovar and the Subhas Sarovar.