Chhath concludes with worship of the rising Sun

KATHMANDU: This year’s Chhath festival concluded today with devotees offering Argha to the rising Sun.

The four-day festival, which began last Saturday, reached its climax with the main pooja on the final evening and concluded this morning with the traditional offering of Argha at rivers and ponds across the country, including in Kathmandu.

Chhath was celebrated with grandeur in the districts of Mahottari, Dhanusha, Siraha, and Saptari in Mithila, as well as in other regions. Devotees performed rituals along the banks of ponds, lakes, and

rivulets, reflecting the festival’s core values of truth, non-violence, and compassion toward all living beings. Worship of the rising and setting Sun is central to Chhath, regarded as a unique and devotional form of prayer to the Sun God.

Large crowds of devotees and enthusiasts gathered at water bodies across the country, emphasizing the festival’s role in promoting goodwill, faith, and social harmony.

People from all walks of life come together to honor the Sun God, believing that such devotion brings happiness, prosperity, well-being, and longevity to their families.

During the festival, devotees observe rigorous fasting, often refraining from food and water, and perform pooja for their ancestral deities while welcoming the goddess Sashti. Fruits are consumed only once on the second day of Chhath.

On the main day, Kartik Shukla Sasthi, devotees offer Argha to the setting Sun while observing strict fasts. According to religious beliefs, offering Argha ritually to the Sun protects one from skin diseases and brings divine blessings to the family