Poorvanchalis flock to city markets for festive shopping

NEW DELHI: A day before the main Chhath puja on Saturday, festivities were in full swing in the city with thousands of Poorvanchalis thronging the markets on Friday. After fasting all day on Friday women, along with their husbands and children, were out to buy cane baskets, sugarcane, flowers, fruits, sprouted grains, dry coconut, white radish, sweets and khajurees.These will be offered as Chhath Sandhya Argh to the setting sun at a riverbank on Saturday.
Madhu Singh, a housewife who was busy haggling with a shopkeeper in Mandavalli Bazaar, said, "We break the fast only after the puja after sunset. Kheer, sweets and fruits are offered to deities. The special Thikua (prepared with flour and sugar) is made by youngsters in the family as the elderly women keep their fast.''
The four-day festival that began Thursday culminates six days after Diwali. Chhath is associated with faith, purity and devotion to the sun god. It is celebrated with much fervour specially in Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh. Chhath also known as Surya Shathi is celebrated to offer thanks to the sun god for providing the necessities of earth. "I have made a mannat (wish) that my son, who is in Class X, gets high marks in his board exams,'' said Vinod Kumar Prasad, who hails from Bihar but has been living in Delhi for many years. "The Chhath puja in Delhi is not as grand as it is in Bihar, but we always keep all the fasts and go to the Yamuna ghats to offer prayers,'' said Kumar's wife Gayatri Devi. She added women sing folk songs while making the offerings to sun god.
"After offering prasad to the setting sun, we will return home for another round of pujas (to the god of Fire and Agni) and the celebrations are expected to continue till midnight,'' added Gayatri.
Not only locals but many people from Bihar have specially flown in to Delhi to celebrate the festival. While they find the rituals quite difficult as they have to stay without food or water all day, the faith and belief is so strong that many observe it even in western countries. Priyaranjan Sinha is in Delhi to be with his family in Noida specially for the Chhath puja. "I flew in specially to be with the family on this special occasion. Kharana is the first day of Chhath. The food is prepared in earthen utensils and a puja is performed at sunset. I don't keep the fast but my wife does. Tonight we will eat gur wali kheer and roti,'' he said.