Chhath Puja 2025: Chhath Puja festivities have started on October 25 with the Nahay Khay. This sacred Hindu festival, observed by mothers and women devotees, is widely celebrated in Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Nepal. Chhath is a four-day-long puja performed in reverence to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya. Thousands gather at riverbanks at dawn and dusk to perform the festival.
Devotees, particularly married women, observe a strict 36-hour Nirjala Vrat (fast without water), abstaining from eating or drinking on Chhath. Here are some special precautions that should be taken during the second day, known as 'Kharna'.
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Chhath Puja 2025: Kharna Dos
- Maintain Cleanliness
- Prepare Prasad Properly
- Fasting women and family members can eat the prasad only after offering it to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya.
Chhath Puja 2025: Kharna Donts
- Avoid touching puja items with dirty hands. Wash your hands properly and take a shower before touching it.
- Avoid touching the Kharna ingredients with dirty hands. Should this take place, do not use the items for worship.
- The place where the kharna prasad is being prepared should not be dirty and unhygienic.
Prasad Prepared On Kharna
On the second day of Chhath Puja, ‘Kharna’, devotees fast until sunset and break their fast with an offering to the deities. Prasad made of jaggery, rice, and milk called “kheer” is distributed among relatives and friends before entering into a 36-hour nirjala fast without water, an integral to Chhath Puja rituals.
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Dos During Chhath Puja Fasting
- Observe a Nirjala Fast
- Take a Bath and Purify Yourself
- Prepare the Puja Thali with Clean Hands
- Offer Arghya to the Sun
- Stay Mentally Positive and Spiritual
- Follow Rituals Properly: Nahay Khay, Kharna, Sandhya Arghya, and Usha Arghya
Don’ts During Chhath Puja Fasting
- Don’t Eat or Drink Anything
- Avoid Consuming Salt, Oil, or Processed/Non-Veg Food
- Don’t Engage in Negative or Impure Activities
- Don’t Break the Fast Early
ALSO READ: Chhath Puja 2025: Dos and Don’ts of Fasting Every Devotee Must Know