Devout ladies of Chaath Puja.
In the true spirit of ancient-old tradition, the Hindu Vedic festival of Chhath was celebrated by devout Indo-Canadian women at Hindu Heritage Centre, Mississauga.
Organized by Bihar and Jharkhand Association of Canada, the three day festival was observed by devotees and their families who offered their sincere devotion to God Sun. The festival started on Oct 24 to observe Lohanda and Kharna. The next day was Sandhya Arghya. The fast is then come to end after offering argha to rising sun. In this way, nearly 42 hours of strict penance comes to an end on Thursday Oct 26.
The rituals of the festival are rigorous and include holy bathing, fasting and abstaining from drinking water (Vratta), standing in water for long periods of time, and offering prasad (prayer offerings) and arghya to the setting and rising sun. Some devotees also perform a prostration march as they head for the river banks.
Environmentalists claim that Chhath is the most eco-friendly Hindu festival.
The festival is celebrated in the regions including but not exclusive to the northeast region of India, but also celebrated outside India in Mauritius, Fiji, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, other parts of the Caribbean,United States, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Macau, Japan, and Indonesia. Canada is a new addition courtesy of Bihar and Jharkhand Association of Canada.
Special prasad was offered to devotees and guests at Mississauga’s Hindu Heritage Centre and the place was buzzing with same native music which is sung during wee hours in Bihar during this auspicious festival.
