Chhath puja rituals are observed for four days. These include holy bathing in the river, fasting, standing in water for long periods of time, and offering prayers to the rising and setting sun.
Chhath is an ancient Hindu Vedic festival historically native to the Indian subcontinent, more specifically, the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and the Madhesh region of Nepal. The Chhath Puja is dedicated to the Sun and his Sister Shashti devi/ Chhathi Maiya/Katyayani form of Durga/Devasena in order to thank them for bestowing the bounties of life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes.
The festival is to worship the sun God and the rituals are rigorous and are observed over a period of four days. They 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.
The main worshipers, called Parvaitin, are usually women. However, many men also observe this festival as Chhath is not a gender-specific festival. The parvaitin pray for the well-being of their family, and for the prosperity of their offspring. In some communities, once a family member starts performing Chhath Puja, it is their compulsory duty to perform it every year and to pass it on to the following generations. The festival is skipped only if there happens to be a death in the family that year. If the person stops performing the ritual on any particular year, it stops permanently and one cannot resume it.
The prasad offerings include sweets, Kheer, Thekua, rice laddu and fruits (mainly sugarcane, sweet lime and banana) offered in small bamboo soop winnows. The food is strictly vegetarian and is cooked without salt, onions or garlic. Emphasis is put on maintaining the purity of the food.