Chhath Puja 2020: Celebrations Begin Today Amid Covid-19; Check How It Is Different This Time

Today marks the first of the four days Chhath Puja celebrations which are dedicated to the un God and Chhathi Maiya. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, some states have placed a ban on public festivities.

New Delhi: The 4-day Chhath puja celebrations begin today and will be celebrated from November 18 to November 21 as people worship the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya. Chhath Mahaparv is the biggest festival primarily in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh. The festival falls six days after the festival of lights Diwali. The festival starts on the Chaturthi of Shukla Paksha and spans over four days till Saptami. The four important days of the festival are: Nahay Khay, Kharna, Sandhya Arghya, Usha Arghya, the worshippers observe a fast of over 48 hours. The first day of Nahay Khay is being marked on November 18 and the suspicious time will fall from sunrise 6:46 AM and sunset 5:26 PM. ' On the first day, devotees purify themselves with pure ghee after taking a bath in a river or a pond. Due to coronavirus pandemic, there are restrictions on the celebration in public places. 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. 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