Chhath Puja

Chhath is an ancient Hindu Vedic festival historically native to the Indian subcontinent, more specifically, the Indian states of Bihar,Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh and the Madhesh region of Nepal.The Chhath Puja is dedicated to the Sun and his consort Chhathi Maiya (Ushas, Vedic Goddess of Dawn and Pratyusha, Goddess of Dusk) in order to thank them for bestowing the bounties of life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes. Chhath is a Vedic ritual dedicated to Hindu solar deity Surya, and goddess Shashthi(also called Chhathi Maiyya). It has also been mentioned in both the major Indian epics - In Ramayana, when Rama and Sita returned Ayodhya, then people celebrated Deepawali, and on its sixth day Ramrajya was established. On this day Rama and Sita kept fast and Surya Shashthi/Chhath Puja was performed by Sita. Hence, she was blessed with Luv and Kush as their sons. While in the Mahabharata, Chhath Puja was performed by Draupadi/ Kunti after they escaped from Lakshagrih.