Ritika
On Saturday, the second day of Chhath Mahaparv in Agra, devotees worship Chhoti Chhath (Kharna). With the Kharna, 36 hours of waterless fast started. For the main festival Shashthi, the members of the houses prepared the worship material. The songs of Chhath Maiya were sung throughout the day on Saturdays. By keeping a waterless fast, in the evening, the devotees made roti and guna kheer on a stove made of clay and brick. The shape of a half moon on a banana leaf remained enchanting. The lamp was lit by applying vermilion on the shape of the moon. Agrasan was taken out for husband and children. The fast is broken after worshiping Chhath Maiya and Moon. After this 36 hours of penance started. Arghya will be offered to the setting sun on Sunday evening (on Shashti) on the third day of Chhath festival.
A large number of devotees will reach Balkeshwar, Rambagh, Hathighat, Dussehra Ghat, Kailash Ghat, Poiya Ghat. By making an earthen altar, the Kalash will be established. Shashthi Maiya and Lord Surya will be worshipped. A reed pavilion will be built. Fruits, Thekua, coconut etc. will be offered. Arghya will be offered to the setting sun in the evening. The puja will start from 4 am on Monday, it will end with offering arghya to the rising sun.
In the markets of Ghat Bazar, Belanganj, Rawatpada, Shahganj etc. of the city, the people of Chhath Puja bought all the worship materials on Saturday. There was a lot of shopping for supuli, four-faced urn, sugarcane, suthni, coconut, grapefruit lemon, ginger, raw turmeric, radish, carrot, betel leaf, pumpkin, water chestnut, channi cloth, pieri for fasting etc.
District Government Advocate Revenue Ashok Choubey said that from Sunday morning, fasting women would start preparing thekua (dish) in their homes. In the evening, the fast will reach the ghats for worship with bamboo supeli, nuggets and fruits in soup, dish, raw turmeric and ginger, suthni, betel leaf, lamp, sugarcane, red and yellow cloth etc.
The president of Akhand Purvanchal Seva Samiti, Vijay Gautam said that the mother-in-law hands over the worship and fasting to her daughter-in-law. If the elderly or for some reason do not observe the fast and worship of Chhath, she entrusts this worship to her daughters-in-law. The daughter-in-law performs this puja and fast with the same faith as the mother-in-law used to do. In many homes, all women and men keep this fast, but this fast is kept with their own desire and reverence.
