MAHOTTARI, Nov 13: With the conclusion of the Tihar festival, Chhath began today, the fourth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kartik, bringing a festive atmosphere to villages and markets across the Mithila region, including Mahottari. Residents have begun preparations for the four-day festival.
Considered a festival of faith, devotion and dedication, Chhath has filled homes across Mithila with devotional songs. Songs celebrating the glory of the Sun God and Goddess Shashthi (Chhathi Maiya) have added to the festive atmosphere.
As part of the preparations, residents are cleaning water bodies and building Chhath ghats along riverbanks, ponds and other sites of religious significance.
Young people, in particular, have been actively involved in constructing and decorating the ghats. Homes are also being decorated, with walls plastered and painted, while bamboo strips and twigs are used in traditional construction and decoration.
Streets, houses and public spaces have been illuminated with decorative lights. People from all economic backgrounds are preparing to celebrate the festival with devotion, according to their means.
Promoting Mithila Art
Daily routines have also begun revolving around Chhath preparations. From social visits and conversations to household chores, almost everything is now centred on the festival, said Haridev Mahato, headteacher of Janata Secondary School in Bijalpura, Bardibas Municipality-13.
Markets across Mithila have seen crowds of shoppers buying items needed for Chhath worship. Sales of festival essentials, including bunches of bananas, have increased.
Local farmers are preparing to bring sugarcane stalks, ginger, turmeric plants, bundles of ritual offerings, pomelos and other items used in Chhath worship to the markets.
Sales of these items are expected to peak on Saturday, said Shivchandra Chaudhary, president of the Jaleshwar Chamber of Industries and Commerce.
Similarly, weekly markets have seen increased sales of traditional bamboo products used to carry offerings and other ritual items. These include dhaki, daliya, koniya, nanglo, chalno and hand fans, made from split bamboo and bamboo strips.
Demand has also risen for earthenware items such as oil lamps (diya), pots used to set curd (chhyanchi), containers for worship materials (taula), and vessels for storing water, including ankhara and gagri.
The demand for bamboo products and earthenware has increased because of the tradition of placing worship materials in new utensils during Chhath.
Households are also busy preparing offerings for the festival. Women are occupied making traditional offerings such as thekuwa and bhuswa. The practice of pounding and grinding rice and wheat flour at home using traditional wooden pestles and hand-operated stone mills remains alive.
Purity and cleanliness are given special importance during the festival, and family members work together to prepare the offerings. Women across Mithila, known as Mithilani, are busy preparing rice and wheat flour for Chhath.
Shantidevi Sah, 55, of Ramnagar in Bhangaha Municipality-4, said devotion and dedication were the most important aspects of Chhath preparations.
In Mithila, Chhath is observed over four days, from the fourth to the seventh day of the bright fortnight of Kartik. The festival begins with the ritual known as Nahay Khay on the first day, followed by Kharna on the second day.
On the third day, devotees observing the fast offer arghya (ritual offerings) to the setting sun. The festival concludes on the fourth morning with offerings to the rising sun.
During Chhath, people set aside old disputes and gather together to worship the Sun God. At Chhath ghats, people from different castes and communities sit side by side and observe the festival without discrimination.
Local residents believe that taking part in the preparations strengthens religious faith and encourages humility and a spirit of cooperation. The worship of the Sun God and Goddess Shashthi is also widely believed to bring prosperity and well-being.
