Chhath Puja Nahay Khay 2022: All rituals, dos and don'ts to follow on this day
Chhath Puja Nahay Khay 2022: The four-day festival of Chhath Puja begins on October 28 this year with the rituals of Nahay Khay. Here is all you need to know about it.
Every year, people celebrate the holy festival of Chhath Puja with great fervour and enthusiasm. The festival will begin on the fourth day (Chaturthi) of Shukla Paksha in the Kartik month with Nahay Khay (October 28) and conclude on seventh day (Saptami) of the month with Usha Arghya (October 31). It is believed that those who worship Surya Bhagwaan (Sun god) and Chhathi Maiyya during this festival, gain happiness, money, success, glory, fame, and honour. Nahay Khay refers to Chhath's first day, which marks the start of the festival. On this day, the followers fast and consume just one salty meal after cleaning their house and having a holy bath in the river Ganga. The states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand are where this festival is primarily celebrated, following Diwali. From rituals to dos and don'ts here is all you need to know about this auspicious festival.
(Also read: Chhath Puja 2022 Calendar: When is Chhath Puja? Know all about the correct dates for 4 days of Chhath celebrations )
Chhath Puja Nahay Khay rituals:
On the first day of Chhath Puja celebration, people who observe the vrat rise early in the morning to worship Lord Surya before consuming meals. The celebrations for Chhath Puja officially start at this point. In observance of this, people fast, dress neatly, and prepare food as prasad for the Sun deity. Devotees prepare chana daal and kaddoo bhaat (pumpkin rice) on this day.
On the second day of Chhath, known as Kharna day, vratis do not eat anything or drink water until puja in the evening when prasad of kheer is made with gud and arwa chawal. The 36-hour fast is then maintained till the end of Chhath Puja, when arghya is offered to the Sun god at daybreak.
Dos and don'ts to follow on this day:
- A day after Diwali, the preparation for Chhath Puja starts when devotees begin to eat exclusively Satvik food (without onion, garlic)
- On Nahay Khay, vratis start their day by cleaning every nook and corner of their house. Cleanliness and hygiene should be maintained throughout the festival.
- Devotees should take a bath early in the morning and eat only after taking a bath. After that orange vermillion is applied and preparations for making the prasad begin.
- All the ingredients used in cooking, such as rice, beans, and vegetables, are either newly purchased or well cleaned, and they shouldn't be combined with anything that has been eaten before or handled with filthy hands.
- Rock salt is used to make the prasad. The food prepared is strictly satvik and onion and garlic are not used while cooking.
- After offering it to Sun god and Chatthi Maiya, the prasad is first consumed by the person who's keeping the fast and then distributed to others in the family.
- One should offer milk and water to God Surya and worshipping Chhathi Mata from a snoop filled with prasad is considered auspicious. Do not forget to listen to the vrat katha at night.
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