Chhath Mahaparva also known as Chhath Puja or Chhath Vrat is observed on Shukla Chaturthi of Kartik month as per the Hindu calendar. The Gregorian calendar for the year 2019 will see Chhath Puja celebrated on Saturday and Sunday, November 2 and 3. The festival begins with Nahay Khay and lasts for the next four, in which Chhath Maiya, the younger sister of Lord Surya, is worshipped. Here's Chhath puja 2019 date & full schedule. Nahay Khay, Lohanda and Kharna, sandhya and Usha arghya date and significance.

There are beliefs about the celebration that certain mistakes while observing the fast for Chhath Maiyya can bring in bad luck. The person observing the fast has to be very careful not to make any mistakes or leave any room for loopholes. Therefore many things need to be well-considered before promising a fast and worship(puja) to Chhathi Maa. Here are some mistakes you should never make while observing a fast for Chhath Puja.

  1. Make sure your basket (daali or dawra) is full of all the ingredients required for the puja. They should be extremely clean and kept the whole day untouched.

  2. When making the offerings of the Chhathi Maiya, take care of complete sanctity. One must wash their hands and prepare prasad only after cleaning their body completely. During this time, non-veg food should not be consumed. Chhath 2019 Puja Samagri List and Vrat Vidhi: Items From Dawri, Soop, Fruits to Grains, Everything You Need to Worship Surya Bhagwan and Chhathi Maiya.

  3. The person who prepares the prasad (thekua, thekwa) should not eat anything until the prasad is ready.

  4. Prasad of Chhath Maiyya should not be stepped on and while offering Argya(holy water) to the Sun.

  5. While giving Arghya you should not use utensils made of silver, steel, glass and plastic.

  6. If you have made a vow that you may want to fulfil once your wish is granted (mannat) you must not forget that and complete in time.

  7. One should not eat food where the prasad of Chhath are being made. If you do this, the worship is considered impure.

  8. The person who observes Chhath fast should never be treated badly. You should help him or her, perform the rituals and maintain their fast.

  9. The diya or clay lamp mustn't be dimmed on purpose all night after it has been once lit.

Every year, Chhath Puja is celebrated two times. The one that we will be having in the month of November is the second Chhath of the year, Karthik Chhath observed in winters. The first celebrated in summers is Chaiti Chhath. Chhath festival is known to involve several strict rituals and is also considered extremely difficult to pursue. Taking dips in cold rivers during the chilly hours of the day while observing a strict fast is just one of them. So before deciding to observe the fast, make sure you are completely ready.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 30, 2019 02:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).