Chhath Puja, a traditional Hindu festival celebrated in India and Nepal is celebrated on the sixth day of Diwali. Primarily celebrated in the states on Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, this festival is referred to as the only Vedic Festival celebrated in India. Chhath Puja has been finally receiving the due recognition by the government and in some parts of India, it is considered as a public holiday. The traditional customs and rituals behind this worship of the Sun God are very lesser known. It is believed that Sun God(Surya Devta) and Chatthi Maiya (Sister of the Sun God) are the sources of life and all the energy that runs the world and by worshipping the source of the life on earth is our way of thanking the sun gods to exist and take care of us. The earlier literature available believes that the Sun God sustaining life on earth and granting health, prosperity, happiness. Unlike other Hindu Pujas that believe in idol worship, this festival is dedicated to worshipping a nature and the basis of this planet the Sun. Chhath Puja Recipe 2018: How to Prepare Delicious Thekuas for Worshipping the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya.

And observing the Chhath puja isn't a child's play. The Chhath rituals continue for four days and devotees follow a strict fast of 38 hours without water. The rituals also include the Holy bath at sunrise and sunset, eating satvik food before the fast and standing in cold river water during the sunset and sunrise to pray the Sun Gods. Not only that, the Puja Samgri and other items are a tough task to collect and take to the banks of the river in a big basket on the head. Apart from the famous Prasad that the devotees make in abundance- Thekuas this puja requires a ton of other items. Here are the items that you might want to note down if you are planning to observe Chhath Puja.

Fruits and Vegetables

Radish ( Mooli )

Guava ( Amrood)

Small Ginger plants ( Adrak)

Small Turmeric plants (Haldi)

Pumpkin(Kaddu)

Bottle Gourd (Lauki)

Cucumber ( Kheera )

Banana (Kela )

Orange (santara)

Pear ( Nashpati)

Pineapple (Ananas)

Big sized Lemon (Kagaji nimbu)

Lemon usual (Nimbu)

Elephant yam (suran)

Apple ( Seb )

Grapes ( Angoor )

Pomegranate ( Anaar )

Sugar cane stem or whole plant ( Ganne)

Other seasonal Fruits and vegetables

Dry Fruits

Cashew (Kaaju )

Pistachio( Pista)

Chestnut (Akhrot )

Lotus seeds ( Makhana )

Almonds ( Badam)

Dry or green grapes Kishmish)

Dry Dates ( Chhuahara )

Charoli (Chironji)

Other worship items

Sun God and Chhathi Maiya idol or picture

Akshat ( Unbroken Rice)

Curd ( Dahi )

Cow Milk for worship argh (Doodh)

Red Vermilion (Lal Sindoor )

Yellow Vermilion ( Peela Sindoor )

Grind rice white for puja some mixed with turmeric and some with kumkum

Big Bamboo basket (Daliya)

Small bamboo basket (Daliya)

Winnowing basket Bamboo or Brass (soop)

Copper pot

Small bowl (Sarva)

Beetel nut ( Supaari)

Beetel leaves ( Paan ka patta)

Red/Yellow cloths for covering all the things in baskets

Red Rice (Samba chaval )

Jaggery ( Gud )

Different coloured Flowers(Except white)

Wheat ( Gehun ke Aata)

Coconut dry and water-filled both.

Mishri (Sugar candy)

Holy River Ganga water ( Ganga Jal )

Hawan samagri

Incense sticks (Agarbatti )

Dhoop stick

Camphor (Kapoor)

Matchstick (Machis)

Coloured thread for binding on the wrist ( Raksha sutra)

Thread to wear in the neck ( Baddhi )

Red rice unbroken (Gamadi rice)

New clothes for the one who is fasting (3 new clothes for three days Kharana, sandhya argh, Sarvodaya argh )

New clothes for donation

Holy thread (Janeu)

Coloured powder (Gulal)

Worship Plates ( Puja ki thali )

Colours for rangoli

Holy Grass (Durva)

Earthen elephant

Earthen lamps

Cotton wicks

Clarified butter

Coins for worship

Money for donations

Sandalwood

Saffron

Cardamom

Milk

Mat for sitting

Mustard oil

Rose Water ( Gulab Jal )

Screw Pine water ( Kevara jal )

Jau

Sesame seeds (Til Black and white)

Gram pulses

While these items are said to be mandatory, it is important that you put your heart and soul to the prayers and rituals. A whole-hearted prayer is always heard. Let us know if you have any more queries related Chhath Puja.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 06, 2018 05:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).