Patna: The celebration of Chhath festival commenced on Tuesday with ‘nahay-khay’ rituals across the state.
In Patna, devotees gathered in large numbers at the Ganga ghats since morning, where they bathed and offered prayers to the rising sun before preparing traditional dishes, including ‘kaddu’ (bottle gourd), chana dal (split chickpea lentils) and bhaat (boiled rice).

After the holy dip, the devotees returned to their homes carrying Ganga water with which they cleaned rice to make ‘prasad’, while many people remained at the ghats to perform the rituals. Women devotees, dressed in vibrant attire, were seen collectively cleaning rice and lentils and preparing ‘prasad’ using brass utensils placed on earthen ‘chullahs’ (stoves), with mango firewood serving as fuel.
Anita Devi (59), who has been performing the Chhath puja for the last 14 years, said all her family members and close relatives assembled at the Law College ghat for the Chhath rituals. “It is so pleasing to see that every member helped me in the Chhath rituals. In the morning, we cleaned our house, prepared all puja materials and reached the ghat to take a holy dip and offer prayer. After completing all the rituals, we prepared ‘kaddu-bhaat’ here at the ghat and ate the ‘prasad’,” she said, adding that it is a traditional food, which is considered pure and cooked on the first day of the four-day festival.
Sanju Devi (42), a resident of Rajendra Nagar (road number 6A), paid her obeisance to the sun God at Krishna Ghat, along with her two daughters. “It has been 12 years since I performing Chhath puja, but every time it feels like I am doing it for the first time, and all the rituals and fasting instil a new kind of energy and positive vibes in me. I learned Chhath rituals from my mother and started observing the fast at the age of 20. Now, my daughters help me with the rituals and preparations,” she told this reporter.
At Digha Ghat, Shanti Devi (61), along with her daughter Urmila and daughters-in-law Pallavi and Shristi, performed prayers and fetched the Ganga water for the ‘prasad’. “We prepare ‘kaddu bhaat’ at our home. It is a traditional food, which is considered pure and is cooked on the first day of the four-day festival. After the ‘nahay-khay’ rituals, the devotees do not eat or drink until ‘kharna’ is observed on the second day of Chhath. After taking the ‘kharna prasad’ and serving it to guests, we fast for two consecutive days,” she said.
Urmila, who lives in Mumbai with her husband, said she came to her home town to celebrate the festival. “Chhath is a festival which brings Biharis to their homes, no matter where they are,” she said.
Aashutosh Kaushik (50), a resident of Bhoothnath area, said he loves the ambience at the ghats during Chhath, which makes him nostalgic reminding him of his childhood days.
Meanwhile, to ensure safety of the devotees, the district administration officials were seen making announcements through public announcement systems, asking devotees not to cross the safety barriers, leave their children alone, and also avoid bursting of crackers on the ghats. Police force, NDRF, SDRF, civil defence personnel, NCC volunteers, and local divers have been deployed at the ghats to avoid any untoward incident. Sanitation workers of the Patna Municipal Corporation were also seen cleaning the ghats.
Patna DM Chandrashekhar Singh on Tuesday evening inspected the preparedness for the Chhath from Digha Patipul to Collectorate ghats and gave necessary instructions to the officials concerned. He said the ‘nahay-khay’ rituals were completed peacefully at all the 102 ghats in the city and 550 water bodies in the district.
The DM asked the police officials and other security forces to remain vigilant for the next three days. Singh added that public address systems were functioning properly and regular announcements were being made to ensure safety of the devotees. Help-desks have also been set up to guide the devotees, and watch-towers erected to keep an eye on anti-social elements.