Chhath Puja is considered a very important festival of Hinduism. This year this great festival is starting on November 5 with Nahai-Khai. A strict fast of 36 hours is observed in this four-day festival, which is dedicated to Sun God and his sister Chhathi Mata. Chhath Puja is one of the biggest and major festivals of Bihar and UP, where preparations from cleaning houses to buying puja materials, soup start many days in advance. This festival (Chhath Puja 2024) has been going on since the Vedic era, so let us know the main things related to this important festival, which are as follows.
Nahai-Khai Tradition
There is a tradition of taking bath on the fourth day of Diwali i.e. Chaturthi Tithi of Shukla Paksha of Kartik month . Some special customs are followed on this day. This year Chhath Puja is starting from 5th November. On this day the house is purified. After this, the Chhath devotees take a bath and start their fast by consuming pure satvik food. In Nahai-Khai, the devotees eat gourd vegetable, chickpeas and radish etc. with rice. The rest of the family members eat this Mahaprasad only after the fasting person has eaten.
Religious importance of Nahai-Khai (Nahay Khay Significance)
Nahai-Khai is considered to mark the beginning of Chhath Puja. On this day, the fasting person takes a bath in a holy river or pond and consumes raw rice, gram and gourd vegetable as food in the form of prasad. This food is considered pure and sacred. Salty food is consumed only once on this day.
The essence of Nahai-Khai is linked to purity, as on this auspicious day the devotees purify themselves and start the Chhath fast in a satvik and sacred manner.
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