Avoid These Mistakes During This Festival
Chhath Puja is celebrated six days after Diwali, especially with grandeur in states like Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
The festival is observed over four-days, each day involves different rituals. On the first day, devotees take a holy bath. The second day involves fasting, and the tradition of offering arghya to the sun is continued till the third and fourth day.
The fasting associated with Chhath Puja is quite challenging, and strict adherence to its rules is considered essential for the puja to be successful.
Hygiene is given utmost importance during Chhath Puja. All items used in the prasad (offering) must be thoroughly cleaned. Those preparing the prasad should also pay complete attention to cleanliness.
The prasad for Chhath is always prepared on a new stove. A new stove should be used for the prasad offered during Kharna. The stove should be such that it can be plastered daily.
If you use a gas stove during Chhath, it should be a new one. It should only be used on Chhath day each year. The stove used in the previous Chhath should not be used again.
For Chhath Puja, steel or glass utensils should not be used. Only utensils made of bamboo for soup and tokari should be used. All the prasad should be prepared in pure ghee.
The prasad of Chhath Puja is considered very sacred. While preparing it, care should be taken to ensure it does not become impure. Those preparing the prasad should bathe and wear clean clothes. The place where the prasad is being made should be completely clean.
During Chhath Puja, it is prohibited for the vrat (fasting) person to sleep on a bed. The person observing the fast should sleep on the ground with a mat throughout the four days of the Chhath festival.