Chhath Puja 2024: Date, Time and Significance of Chhathi Maiya

Chhath Puja 2024: Chhath Puja, commonly known as Sun Shashthi is held on Kartik Shukla Shashthi. This event, which takes place six days after Diwali, is mostly observed with considerable fanfare in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand. Worshiping Chhathi Maiya and the Sun God on Chhath Puja promotes happiness, prosperity, and good health. As a folk festival, Chhath Pooja has gained particular significance in recent years. This explains why there is a lot of fanfare and spectacle surrounding the celebration.

The importance of Chhathi Maiya and Chhath Puja 2024

The Sun God is the object of the Chhath Puja. The sun, the god that all living things on Earth can see, is the source of life itself. On this day, Chhathi Maiya is worshipped in addition to the Sun God. Vedic Astrology states that Chhathi maiya or Chhathi mata gives longevity and protection to the kids.

The Shashthi Devi is also referred to as Manas Daughter of Brahma ji in Hinduism. She is also identified in the Puranic texts as the mother Katyayani, who is worshipped on the Shashti day of Navratri. It is said that in the indigenous language of Bihar-Jharkhand, Shashthi Devi is Chhath Maiya.

The Chatra Puja Festival

The four-day Chhath Puja is a folk celebration. Kartik Shukla Chaturthi marks the beginning of this four-day celebration, which concludes with Kartik Shukla Saptami.

Nahay Khay (first day)

The first day of Chhath Puja is today. This means that to shield the mind from the need for retaliation, the house is cleaned after a bath, and vegetarian meals are consumed.

Kharna (Second Day)

The second day of Chhath Puja is called Kharna. Kharna is the term for the entire day’s fast. The followers are forbidden from consuming any water on this day. They can have fruits, ghee-filled chapati, and gur ki kheer (jaggery kheer) in the evening.

Sandhya Arghya (Third Day)

An arghya is served to the sun god during the Kartik Shukla Shashthi on the third day of Chhath puja. After offering an arghya to the sun with their families in the evening, devotees decorate a bamboo basket with fruits, thekua, and rice laddus. Water and milk are offered to the Sun God during Arghya, and the Chhathi Maiya is worshipped from a soop that is filled with prasad. Shashthi Devi hymns are sung at night and the vrat katha is heard following the worship of the Sun God.

Usha Arghya (Day Four)

An arghya is offered to the Sun God early on the final day of Chhath puja. The devotees are required to go to the riverbank on this day before daybreak to present an arghya to the rising sun. Following this, the family’s happiness and the child’s protection from Chhathi Maiya are sought after for peace. To break their fast, known as Paran or Parana, devotees consume some prasad, sharbat, and raw milk after devotion.

Chhath Puja 2024 Vidhi

Before the Chhath puja 2024, gather all the samagri and present an arghya to the Sun God.

• Three sizable bamboo baskets, three brass or bamboo stools, a plate, milk, and a glass
• Sugarcane, suthani, coconut, turmeric, scarlet vermilion, rice, veggie, and sweet potato
• Dessert, camphor, sandalwood, pears, large lemons, honey, paan, and the entire herd
• Take the rice ladoos, rice pudding, kheer-puri, thekua, and malpua as prasad.

Significance of Chhath Puja in an Astrological Perspective

The Chhath event holds significant value from both an astrological and scientific perspective. An exceptional astronomical event occurs on the sixth tithi of the Kartik Shukla Paksha when the sun is in the southern hemisphere of the earth. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun gathers more than usual on Earth around this time. These dangerous rays directly affect people’s skin, stomachs, and eyes. Sun worship becomes even more significant on Chhath puja 2024 day because it should not harm anyone by UV radiation from the sun’s arghya and devotion.

We hope you enjoyed this Chhath Puja-themed story. Happy Chhath puja to all of our readers from Speak to Astrologer Rahul Shastri!