City gets ready to worship the Sun

Come Monday morning and North Indians across the city will be getting together to worship and thank the Sun as Chhath Puja, a four-day celebration, will culminate on the day.

Women in the city have been fasting since Friday and will celebrate the festival by going to a beach before the sunrise. In Mumbai, large scale celebrations can be seen at Juhu and Dadar Chowpatties.

The ritual begins with a holy bath in a water body, followed by Sun worship. Besides fasting, women need to offer prayer before sunrise, while standing in water. 

Kevaladevi Morya, who comes to the city only during the festival, said: “I come here because my son’s family lives here. The puja is performed for the well-being of my son. We fast on all four days. At the end of the first day, we are allowed to eat dal made of bottle gourd and rice. On Saturday, we can eat a sweet made of jaggery and roti. On Sunday, we won’t be allowed to drink or eat anything until we see the sunrise on Monday.”

Talking about the last day of the puja, Kevaladevi’s granddaughter Bhagyashree Morya said” “Every year, we go to the Juhu beach before the sunrise. Later on, we perform a small puja at the Chowpatty and give fresh coconut water to my grandmother to break the fast.”