Devotees observe Kharna on the second day of Chhath festival

Devotees are observing Kharna on the second day of the four-day Chhath festival, dedicated to sun worship. The celebrations began on Friday with the Nahay-Khay ritual, where participants take a holy bath and make their initial vows. According to reports, the festival is regarded as a rigorous and devout observance due to the strict rules required for preparing offerings to the sun deity. During Kharna, participants maintain a complete fast throughout the day. After observing the moon in the evening, they prepare rice pudding using newly harvested local rice, milk, and jaggery on a new earthen stove and in earthen vessels. This offering is placed on banana leaves and dedicated to the sixth deity, after which the participants and their family members consume it as prasad. Tradition also dictates sharing the prepared rice pudding with relatives and neighbors who do not observe the festival. Alongside the pudding, other offerings such as sweets and traditional items are prepared with an emphasis on cleanliness and purity. Reports note that practitioners observe a waterless fast lasting approximately 48 hours, beginning from the main arghya until the final paran stage. On the third day of the festival, fasting participants will visit beautifully decorated riverbanks, ponds, and water bodies. Standing waist-deep in the water, they will offer the first arghya to the setting sun. The ancient Mithila region and various other areas are filled with festive spirit as families take part in these traditional worship rituals.