1 2 Prayagraj: Thousands of women offered 'Arghya' to the rising sun on Friday morning and broke their fast to mark the culmination of four-day Chhath celebrations at various ghats and makeshift water bodies amid. Women, clad in the attire of newly wedded brides, took a holy dip amid playing of folk songs and exchanging prasad. The offerings included sweets, kheer, thekua and fruit offered in small bamboo winnows.
Explaining the importance of the festival, a city based scholar Anil Mishra said: "Women and family members return to the ghat to end the fast in the early morning and perform Usha Arghya, i.e., morning offerings.
The festival ends with the breaking of the fast by the vratins. Friends and relatives visit the houses of the devotees to receive the prasad." "Once a family starts performing Chhath Puja , it is their duty to do it every year and to pass it on to the next generations.
The festival is skipped only if there happens to be a death in the family that year," said Anita, a local. "Although it is tiring, the satisfaction one gets is unexplainable as it is not only those who keep the fast but the entire family is blessed," said newly wedded Anjali, who kept the fast for the first time..
