Chhath Puja 2024: Fresh Offerings or Reuse? Decoding the Ritual of Arghya for Sun God!
Chhath Puja is one of the most pious and spiritually profound festivals that is celebrated in honor of the Sun God, Surya, and his sister, Chhathi Maiya. It is carried out with devotion and holds special significance for devotees who follow it with absolute discipline and faith. One of the major characteristics of Chhath Puja is arghya or sacred offering. Devotees both at sun-set and sunrise offer arghya to Surya - every ritual means thanksgiving for life and all its bounties.
Offerings In Chhath Puja
Offering is a significant part of the rituals, where devotees make a basket of offerings, comprising seasonal fruits, rice, and sweets, and arrange them in a bamboo tray known as soop. These offerings are symbols of purity and gratitude, and the devotee chooses them to represent God's abundance in the form of nature. Offerings are the heart of the rituals of Chhath Puja, where devotees connect with the spirit of the Sun God.
Can the Same Offering Be Used for Both Arghyas?
Whether the same prasad should be used for both evening and morning arghya is one of the oft-asked questions to devotees. It has always been a matter of tradition, and different regions and families follow it in a different way. But at the broad scale of the custom, fresh offerings have had to be made for each arghya to purify and honor the Sun God to the fullest extent.
This, as noted by Bhagalpur scholar Pandit Amod Mishra, is a very old tradition where fresh offerings should be made at each arghya. According to Mishra, once an offering has been presented to a deity, it should not be reused in case the ritual gets spoiled. In offering fresh prasad at both evening and morning arghyas, devotees illustrate their absolute loyalty and devotion to the deity.
Observation of Chhath Puja Fasting and Rituals
Chhath Puja is very demanding in terms of fasting rituals, as the devotees abstain from food and water for a harsh 36 hours. This fast is taken with great discipline and does not end before the morning arghya with a nip of the holy prasad. This prasad, besides a sip of water, is the first source of nutrition that devotees take after their long fast.
Many worshippers fast and pray for family prosperity, a long healthy life, and to get children. This fast proves humility and patience during these rituals and is thankful for gifts in one's life. So many bond and relish those moments that make Chhath Puja so spectacularly observant and persevering.
One prays to Chhathi Maiya and Surya Dev
At the heart of the Chhath Puja lies worshiping to Chhathi Maiya, considered to be the sister of Lord Surya. The Sun God is known as the deific representation of life and energy, and Chhathi Maiya represents protection, fertility, and family welfare. This bond between the two deities is great, so it is celebrated through the arghya rituals, where devotees pray to the Surya for the granting of life's blessings and thank Chhathi Maiya for her nurturing presence.
A Tradition of Faith and Thanksgiving
These rituals of Chhath Puja are, thus, in themselves an expression of great thanksgiving to nature and the almighty. Perform the rituals with proper attention so that the temporal relationship is upheld as a bond between creation and creator. Indeed, every activity-from making fresh ingredients for offerings to the initiation of fasting-is integral to Chhath Puja, driving home quite appropriately the concept of faith and discipline.
Undoubtedly, for new initiates into this tradition or those who lack specific knowledge, taking their questions to an informed individual will help conduct the rituals in a proper and respectful manner.
