MAHOTTARI: The Mithila region, including Mahottari district, has come alive with festive activities as preparations intensify for the four-day Chhath festival, which begins today on Kartik Shukla Chaturthi, following the conclusion of Tihar.
Households across the region are filled with devotional Chhath songs praising the Sun God (Surya Dev) and Goddess Shashthi (Chhathi Maiya). The songs, reflecting the festival’s deep-rooted traditions of faith, devotion and purity, have created a distinctly festive atmosphere throughout Mithila.
Locals are busy cleaning and decorating Chhath ghats along rivers, ponds and other religiously significant water bodies. Young people, in particular, have taken the lead in constructing and beautifying the worship sites. Houses, including traditional structures made of bamboo and thatch, are being cleaned, plastered and decorated. Streets, homes and public spaces are also illuminated with decorative lights.
People from all economic backgrounds are preparing to observe the festival with devotion, according to their means.
Chhath preparations have increasingly become the centre of everyday life in the region, influencing everything from social gatherings and conversations to household activities, said Haridev Mahato, principal of Janata Secondary School in Bijalpura, Bardibas-13.
Markets across Mithila are witnessing a growing rush of shoppers purchasing essential items for the festival. Demand for banana leaves and other traditional offerings has increased, while local farmers are preparing to bring sugarcane, ginger, turmeric plants, mutha, jyamir and jata to the markets.
Most of these agricultural products are expected to be traded on Saturday, said Shiva Chandra Chaudhary, president of the Jaleshwar Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Sales of traditional bamboo products, including covers, dalia, koniya, nanglo, chalan and fankha, have also increased in weekly markets. These items are commonly used to carry and arrange offerings during the rituals.
Similarly, demand for traditional earthenware, including oil lamps (diyas), yoghurt strainers, containers for worship materials, and water vessels such as ankhara and gagri, has risen. The use of new bamboo baskets and earthen pots for keeping ritual offerings is an established tradition of Chhath.
Preparations for making traditional Chhath offerings, or prasad, have also gathered momentum in households. Women are busy preparing delicacies such as thekuwa and bhuswa, using rice and wheat flour traditionally ground at home with a dhiki or mill.
Purity and cleanliness are considered essential during Chhath, and prasad is traditionally prepared with the participation of family members while observing strict religious practices. Women across Mithila are particularly engaged in preparing the flour and other ingredients required for the offerings.
Shanti Devi Sah, 55, of Bhangaha-4, Ramnagar, said devotion and dedication were the most important aspects of preparing for the festival.
In Mithila, Chhath is observed over four days, beginning on Kartik Shukla Chaturthi and concluding on Saptami. The first day is marked by the ritual of Nahay-Khay, during which devotees observe purification practices and prepare a special meal. The second day is dedicated to Kharna, when devotees observe a day-long fast and break it after evening worship.
On the third day, devotees offer arghya to the setting sun, while the festival concludes on the fourth morning with offerings to the rising sun.
Chhath is also regarded as a festival that strengthens social harmony and community solidarity. People from different castes and communities gather together at Chhath ghats to worship, setting aside social differences and longstanding disagreements.
The tradition of celebrating the festival collectively reflects the values of equality, mutual cooperation and shared religious devotion. Worshipping the Sun God and Goddess Shashthi is believed to bring happiness, good fortune and prosperity to devotees and their families.
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