CHHATH Puja is a significant festival celebrated widely in Bihar, Jharkhand and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. It is an auspicious Hindu festival celebrated for four days as Nahay Khay, Lohanda and Kharna, Sandhya Arghya and Usha Arghya. The festival is dedicated to Sun God Surya for offering gratitude for supporting life on Earth.
In this auspicious festival, Chhathi Maiya is called upon to seek her divine blessings for the well-being and prosperity of the family. Strict fasting is observed during the festival and arghyas are offered to the rising and setting sun. One of the most revered rituals of Chhath Puja is women applying long sindoor on their forehead during Chhath Puja festivities.
Why women apply long sindoor on Chhath Puja
During Chhath Puja festivities, women apply long sindoor from forehead to nose in orange colour. Sindoor is a traditional shringaar worn by women as a symbol of her their devotion to their husbands and signifies marital status.
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According to the beliefs, married women who observe fast apply sindoor as a symbol of good luck and auspiciousness. On the auspicious occasion of Chhath Puja, women apply sindoor in orange colour as it is said that the life of the women's husband is prolonged by the good grace of Chhathi Maiya.
Women wear sindoor starting from the nose continued to the forehead filling the maang in the hair. As per Hindu beliefs, the longer the sindoor is filled, the longer the husband's life is.
Celebrations of Chhath Puja
The country is celebrating the third day of Chhath as Sandhya Arghya during which devotees observe strict fasting and offer arghya to the Sun God Surya. They pray for the well-being, health and prosperity of their families and loved ones. Numerous dishes are prepared to offer as Bhog to God Surya and Chhathi Maiya such as thekua, dal bhaat, rice kheer, laag saag and kohnda.