How to do Chhath Puja Guide & all key items used in rituals

 

🌞 How to Perform Chhath Puja – Step-by-Step Ritual Guide

---

📅 Day 1 – Nahay Khay (Bath & Eat)

Purpose: Begin purification with holy bathing and satvik food.

🧼 Rituals:

1. Clean your home thoroughly, especially kitchen and puja areas.

2. Take a holy bath – preferably in a river or using Gangajal.

3. Cook food using bronze utensils.

4. Eat Kaddu-Bhaat (pumpkin + rice) as the only meal of the day.

   • Optional: Use earthen stove (mitti chulha) and cow dung cakes.

---

📅 Day 2 – Kharna (Fasting Begins)

Purpose: Observe a waterless fast (nirjal vrat) with evening prasad.

🍚 Rituals:

1. Observe fast without food or water the whole day.

2. In the evening, cook Jaggery Kheer, Roti/Puri, and fruits.

3. Offer to Chhathi Maiya using brass thali or puja set.

4. Break your fast after offering prasad.

---

📅 Day 3 – Sandhya Arghya (Evening Offering to Setting Sun)

Purpose: Offer gratitude to the setting sun.

🧺 Preparations:

• Arrange your Soop (bamboo winnow trays)

• Fill it with:

  • Thekua

  • Rice laddoo

  • Coconut (with husk)

  • Bananas

  • Sugarcane

  • Dry fruits (dates, raisins, cardamom)

  • Singhara (water chestnut)

  • Whole turmeric root

🕯️ Rituals:

1. Walk to the riverbank (ghat) carrying the offerings in a daura (bamboo basket).

2. Stand in the water, facing the setting sun.

3. Offer Arghya using brass kalash or earthen pot.

4. Light earthen diyas, incense sticks, and camphor.

5. Wear a chunari and sing traditional Chhath songs.

---

📅 Day 4 – Usha Arghya (Morning Offering to Rising Sun)

Purpose: Completion of vrat and offering to the rising sun.

🌅 Rituals:

1. Leave for the ghat before sunrise.

2. Carry the same items used in the evening Arghya.

3. As the sun rises, offer Arghya using puja kalash and sacred water.

4. Break your 36-hour fast with raw milk and prasad.

5. Distribute prasad to friends, family, and neighbors.

---

✅ Other Essentials You May Need

• New traditional clothes (sari, dhoti/kurta)

• Towels

• Cotton wicks

• Puja mat (asan)

• Matchbox

---

by openAI

Essentials for Chhath Puja (Samagri List)

🌞 Essentials for Chhath Puja (Samagri List)

🏞️ For the Arghya (Offerings to the Sun)

• Thekua – sweet wheat flour cookies made with jaggery and ghee (main prasad)

• Rice Laddoo (कसार)

• Coconut (with husk) – multiple pieces

• Bananas – at least one large bunch

• Sweet lime, oranges, apples, sugarcane, pomegranate, guava – seasonal fruits

• Singhara (water chestnut) – fresh or boiled

• Whole turmeric root (हल्दी की गांठ)

• Ginger root

• Raw rice (in small quantity)

• Dry fruits – dates, raisins, cardamom

• Earthen lamp (दीया) and mustard oil or ghee

---

🧺 Puja Containers and Support Materials

• Sooop (सूप) – bamboo winnow trays

• Daura (बास की टोकरी) – bamboo basket

• Earthen pots (for water and prasad)

• Brass Kalash (लोटा)

• Incense sticks (अगरबत्ती)

• Camphor (कपूर)

• Matchbox

• Cotton wicks

• Chunari (Red/Yellow dupatta)

---

🧴 Items for Cleaning and Ritual Bathing

• New clothes – sari/suit for women (preferably yellow/red), dhoti/kurta for men

• New towels

• Gangajal or clean river water

• Milk – for bathing the sun (in Arghya)

• Honey, turmeric powder, sandalwood paste – optional

---

🛕 For the Ghat or Riverbank Setup

• Clay stove (मिट्टी का चूल्हा) for prasad cooking

• Wood or cow dung cakes for fuel

• Puja platform (can be sand mound or setup of bricks)

• Decorations – flowers, banana leaves, toran, rangoli

• Clean mat (for sitting)

• 
  

India's remarkable milestones in space exploration-2024

In 2024, India achieved remarkable milestones in space exploration, solidifying its position as a global space leader. The year began with the launch of XPoSat, India's first X-ray polarimetry satellite, followed by Aditya‑L1 reaching its halo orbit to continuously study the Sun. ISRO also launched key satellites like INSAT‑3DS for meteorology and EOS‑08 for Earth observation using its new SSLV launcher. A major highlight was the Reusable Launch Vehicle landing trials and SpaDeX, India's first successful space docking mission—placing it among a select few nations with such capabilities. The GSAT‑N2 communications satellite launch and Proba‑3 collaboration with the European Space Agency further demonstrated ISRO's growing technological maturity and global trust.

India's international reputation was boosted as the Chandrayaan‑3 team received the prestigious Swigert Award for their successful lunar south pole landing. ISRO also prevented ten satellite collisions in orbit, showcasing its responsible space stewardship. These missions not only advanced India's scientific knowledge and space infrastructure but also laid critical groundwork for upcoming human spaceflight (Gaganyaan) and future station goals. With a balanced focus on innovation, safety, and collaboration, 2024 marked a breakthrough year for India's space ambitions.

Two Flags, One Heart 🇮🇳❤️🇺🇸

---

I still remember my first 4th of July in America.
The fireworks lit up the sky like a million dreams bursting into color —
dreams that brought me here from a small town in India, with just two suitcases,
an H1B visa, and a heart full of hope.

That night, I stood in a local park, surrounded by strangers who waved flags
and sang along to “God Bless America,” though I didn’t know the lyrics,
I felt the emotion. I felt the unity.
And for the first time in a long time, I felt home.

Years later, I’ve built a life here. I’ve grown in my career,
started a family, and embraced the values of hard work and opportunity.
I still cook biryani on weekends and celebrate Diwali with lamps and sweets.
But on the 4th of July, I proudly wear red, white, and blue.

I cheer for the land that gave me a second chance —
a land built on courage, hope, and freedom.
I may have been born under a different sky,
but this nation embraced me with open arms.

And for that, I celebrate with all my heart.
Happy 4th of July — from one proud Indian-American to this incredible country I now call home.
🇺🇸🧡
Two flags. One heart. Endless gratitude.

Running is Fun

https://amzn.to/3XI54Ng

Whisper to the Moon