KATHMANDU: The Chhath festival, symbolizing purity, gratitude, and devotion, is being celebrated across the country today with great enthusiasm and religious fervor.
The main rituals of the four-day festival begin this evening, as devotees gather at rivers, ponds, and lakes to offer Argha (holy offerings) to the setting sun. Worshippers pay homage to the Sun God (Surya) and Chhathi Maiya, the goddess believed to bless devotees with good health, prosperity, and longevity.
Although Chhath has traditionally been celebrated in the Terai region, the festival has gradually gained popularity in the hills and mountainous regions, including the Kathmandu Valley, where thousands of devotees have gathered at various water bodies to perform the religious rituals.
In Janakpurdham, the religious hub of Madhes Province, major ponds, including Ganga Sagar, Dhanus Sagar, Ram Sagar, Ratna Sagar, Bihar Kunda, Argaja, Maharaj Sagar, and Agni Kunda, have been elaborately decorated with lights, banana trees, bamboo arches, and colorful pandals to welcome devotees.
The local administration, along with volunteers, has made arrangements to ensure security, sanitation, and the smooth management of the festival celebrations.
According to tradition, devotees observe a rigorous fast, abstaining from both food and water for two days as an expression of discipline, faith, and devotion. The festival concludes with offerings and prayers to the rising sun on Monday morning, symbolizing the completion of the rituals and reaffirming themes of hope, purity, gratitude, and harmony.
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