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Devotees offer thanksgiving prayers to the Sun god

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Unlike most devotees who fast on the second and third day of Chhath Puja, Manoj Singh Rajput begins the fast from day one itself. “It is something I have been doing for a while. I make sure that I fast on the first day also,” said Rajput, a resident of Oshiwara, as the the festivities began on Wednesday.

Chhath Puja is an ancient Hindu festival dedicated to the Sun god Surya. It is performed as a thanksgiving to Surya for sustaining life on earth and granting other wishes. The puja, which goes on for four days, is popularly observed in north India.

Traditionally, on the first day, devotees begin with a bath and prayers at home. Many take a holy dip in rivers, ponds and other water bodies. On the second day the observances get stiff.

“The fast begins from the second day and ends only after Aragh is offered on the fourth day when the sun is rising,” explained Anupam Singh, a resident of Kharghar.

On the second day and during the first half of the third day, prayers are conducted at home. Those not fasting have ‘prasad’ on the night of the second day. The prasad is a ‘kheer’ preparation of milk and rice sweetened with jaggery.

“At our home, the women mostly keep the fast. They offer this for the good health of their husbands and the children and the well-being of the family,” said Singh.

In the evening on the third day, devotees offer Aragh to the setting sun. The Aragh offering of five fruits, coconut and delicacies is offered in a bamboo basket, standing knee-deep in water.

Community members and politicians also organise the puja. “What we do is make a sort of artificial well where some families come to make their offering to the Sun god,” said Sukhdeo Sharma, who has organised the Chhath Puja in his neighbourhood in Sion.

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