“Chhatha” Festival

By Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

“Chhatha Parba” is a very important festival for the mid and eastern Nepalese terai people especially for the Maithili and Bhojhpuri languages speaking Nepalis. In general Nepalis of the east and mid terai regions celebrate this festival fabulously. They celebrate it for the blessings of Goddess “Chhatha” Devi for peace, progress, prosperity and good health of all family members. The popular belief is that Goddess “Chhatha” Devi blesses childless couples with children, brings fortune to the poor and cures the sick people, and even the disease such as leprosy, and meets all the wishes of the devotees. This festival is also for maintaining religious and ethnic harmony among the poor and the rich people.

Nepalis believe that the common spouse of the five Pandav brothers at the time of Dwapar Yuga (mid era according to the Hindu calendar), then in exile in the forests, worshipped the Sun God for the blessing for the victory over their cousins called Kaurava in the Mahabharat war to be fought for the regain of the kingdom lost to them in the gambling manipulated by one of the unscrupulous relatives of the Kaurava brothers; as a result of this worship, the Pandav brothers won the war; since then people have been celebrating it.

Some people believe that the “Chhatha” is derived from the word “Chaithi” means the sixth day in the Maithili language. Other people called the “Chhatha” festival by other names such as Surya Sasthi means the sixth day of the Sun, and Pratihar Sasthi means the sixth day of women guards in a palace.

Nepalis living in the areas between Birgunj in the central region and Bhadrapur in the eastern region of Nepal celebrate this festival enthusiastically. Some people in the western part of the terai also celebrate it. Maithili speaking people in the northern Bihar of India also celebrate this festival. They also visit the holy places particularly the famous religious ponds in Janakpur in Nepal and the holy rivers in Biratnagar of Nepal to celebrate this festival.

During the festival days, Nepalese people maintain social harmony. Rich and poor, historically low and high caste people celebrate this festival standing side by side on the same bank of a pond, river or a water-well with the same enthusiasm and vigor. They sing, dance, make merry and share happiness with each other celebrating the “Chhatha” festival.

Men and women sing and dance creating an environment conducive to make the celebration lively. Women sing the “Chhatha” festival songs and dance during the auspicious beginning of the festival. Men sing hymns. The songs women sing during the “Chhatha” festival have the meanings that they also perform worship to Goddess Mai on this occasion. In fact, there is a tradition among the people historically belonging to castes such as Mushar and Dosad to perform offerings to Goddess Mai on the sixth day of the birth of a child. Thus, Goddess Mai is the protectorate of their children. Hence, they perform worship to Goddess Mai on this occasion, too.

During this festival, devotees perform worship to the Sun God, the setting Sun as Goddess Mai on the sixth day and the rising Sun as Dinnanath on the seventh day. People believe that the Sun God relieves them from sufferings such as disease, childlessness, and death of loved ones and contempt of others. The Sun God is also wish-fulfilling God; so, they believe that the Sun God meets their wishes if they strictly follow the religious rituals while celebrating the “Chhatha” festival. However, if someone fails to do so, s/he might not only lose the blessings and the fulfillment of his/her wishes but might also be penalized for wrong doings. So, devotees meticulously take care of preparation of all items of offerings, and they make sure that they do not miss the order of offerings of those items to the Sun God.

Devotees make some important food items such as fried bread called “Thhekuwa”, sweet balls called ”Kasar” made of flour and sugar, and a kind of porridge called ”Khir” prepared from “gomadi” rice and molasses for making offerings to the Sun God. To make sure that these food items are absolutely clean, devotees wash and cleanse wheat and “gomadi” rice (a special rice which bears grains in the stem of the plant not as ears). Then, they dry it on the sun. While drying it, they make sure that birds and animals do not defile it. They even do not allow humans to touch it if they have not performed the purification rituals. They grind these cereals manually. Thereafter, they prepare “Thhekuwa”, “Kasar” and “khir” from the flour with the help of the family members who have taken a purification wash and who have not defiled their body eating certain food prohibited to eat during the festival. They ensure that none of the items of offerings is missed for worship.

The popular belief among the terai people is that in ancient time women took the three-day “Chhatha” fast, pleased the wish-fulfilling Sun God, and got their wishes fulfilled. The most popular example they give is: once a queen in preparation for celebrating the “Chhatha” festival had kept the offerings to be made to the Sun God under a cover. When the king saw something under a cover, asked the queen about it. She told the king in jest that it was a gold bar. The king took it seriously. The queen could not backtrack from what she said to the king. So, the queen prayed to the Sun God for saving her from disgrace that might come with the lie she told her husband. To her relief, she found the offerings turned into a gold bar. Thus, the king and the queen realized that the God listened to the prayer of the queen.

Similarly, another legend has it that the Nag Kanyas (unmarried women descendents of the Serpent dynasty) took the three-day fast and performed the offerings to the Sun God as prescribed. The Sun God met their wishes. Impressed by the success of the Nag Kanyas, Sukanya, daughter of King Saruyati celebrated the “Chhatha” festival strictly following the rituals, and she became successful in restoring the eye-sight of her husband namely Chewon Rishi mentioned in the Puran (religious Script).

The Mahabharat epic also mentions that one of the main characters of the Mahabharat epic, Draupadi also celebrated the “Chhatha” festival strictly following the rituals of making offerings to the Sun God. Her wishes for the victory of her five husbands called Pandavas over Kauravas in the battle for regaining their lost kingdom were met. Draupadi was the common wife of the five brothers called Pandavas, sons of King Pandav, ruler of Hastinapur.

People strongly believe that their wishes would be met if they strictly follow the offerings procedures while celebrating the “Chhatha” festival. It is a popular belief that the blind receive eyesight, the poor would have fortunes, lepers receive a strong and beautiful body and the childless women conceive. Usually, women take the three-day fast following the pledge made to the Sun God for getting their wishes fulfilled.

Therefore, women en masse participate in this “Chhatha” festival. They sing, dance and make merry throughout the period of “Chhatha” festival. This is also an opportunity for women to come out of the four walls of their houses. They put on their best clothes. They camp at a nearby water source, which may be a pond, river or a water-well. There, they prepare everything necessary for performing offerings to the Sun God. Thus, the celebration of the “Chhatha” festival is centered at the water source unlike other religious festivals, which usually are celebrated at temples, shrines or monasteries.

This three-day festival starts on the fifth day of the bright fortnight in the month of Kartik (October-November) in the Vikram calendar, and continues on the sixth and seventh days.

People begin preparing for the “Chhatha” festival on the fourth day of the bright fortnight. Previously, from the day of Laxmi Puja that is no moon day, devotees stop eating the foods such as Bhadaiya rice (rice grown in the Month of Bhadra), millets, and lentils (mass and musro), eggplant, fish, meat, eggs, onions and garlic, as they believe that these foods defile their body. However, the period of restriction of taking such food items has been relaxed. Currently, devotees follow this food habit only from the fourth day of the bright fortnight.

The fourth day of the festival called “Nha-kha” means to eat only the prescribed food after a purification wash. So, the devotees spend the whole day on the purification rituals.

The fifth day of the light fortnight is called “kharana”. On this day, devotees fast the whole day for keeping their body clean following the religious tradition. In the evening, they take a purification dip in the water of a holy river or a pond, and then they prepare porridge like dish called “Khir” cooking “gomadi” rice and pure molasses together in a new clay pot placing on a freshly done earthen stove. They first offer it to the Sun God, then to all family members as the blessing from the Sun God. Thereafter, they eat it breaking their fast.

On the sixth day, devotees take a 24-hour fast. They prepare “Thhekuwa”, “Bhuswa” and Kasar” from the flour they have meticulously prepared from wheat and “gomadi” rice. They take the help of the family members who have undergone purification rituals, and who have taken only the vegetarian dishes, to prepare these food items.

On early afternoon of the sixth day, devotees begin making preparations for setting off to a pond or river to make offerings to the Setting Sun. At about 4:00 P.M, they set out for a water source such as pond, river or well. There, they set all items of offerings on the bank of a pond or a river. The items comprise five different products called “Pancha Gabya” of cow, paste called “chandan” made of aromatic wood, rice, coconut, areca nuts and sesame seeds, “Thhekuwa,” “Kasar”, sugarcane plant, ginger plant, turmeric plant and betel leaves. Devotees perform offerings called “Chhiti”, “Supati”, Dagri”, “and Haathi”, “Koshiya” following the pledge made to the Sun God for a special favor they had wished for.

Devotees cleanse their body taking a dip in the water of a holy river or a pond. Some devotees stand half submerged in water in the posture of praying to the God, facing the setting Sun for hours. Other devotees take a number of dips in the water. They believe that by doing so, their diseases will be cured. Then, they put on fresh clothes and perform the offerings called “Argha” consisting of cow milk, water and honey to the setting Sun God. This is called “Sajh-karak” means an evening offering.

Thereafter, devotees stay on in the tents overnight. They sing, dance and enjoy the whole night. In the rural areas, people go back home after completion of the evening offerings to the setting Sun God. They sing, dance and make merry in the village the whole night.

At about 3:00 A.M on the seventh day, devotees begin preparing for the offerings to the rising Sun God. Some devotees perform worship called “Parna” to the rising Sun God. Devotees offer banana, sugarcane, coconut, various other fruits and special breads made for this occasion to the Goddess during the special worship and prayer. Others make regular offerings to the Sun God. Thereafter, they return home. Thus, ends the “Chhatha” festival.

The most conspicuous feature of this festival is that people worship the setting sun. This kind of worship is unique because the tradition of worshipping the setting sun is rare elsewhere in the world. The worship of the setting sun is one of the humanitarian features of this festival.

Previously, people used to send “Thhekuwa” as blessing of the Sun God to relatives and friends living far away. Even now, people welcome guests with “Thhekuwa” during and after the “Chhatha” festival. The tradition of inviting married daughters and sisters to the festival continues even today. They buy new clothes for all family members to wear on this occasion.

October 31, 2008.