Chhath festivities are beginning to take hold in the Kathmandu Valley as well as the Tarai-Madhesh, with markets seeing a surge in demand for items used in the festival.
At the fruit and vegetable market in Kalimati, Kathmandu, vendors have begun setting up stalls selling goods specifically for Chhath. Shoppers have been arriving from early morning to buy offerings and other essentials for the festival, with fruits and traditional bamboo items drawing particularly large crowds.
The traditional offerings include thekua (a traditional deep-fried sweet), kasar (a traditional sweet made of roasted rice flour and jaggery), coconuts, bananas, apples, oranges, sugarcane, sweet potatoes, radishes, ginger, turmeric, lemons, guavas, pomelos and coconuts with water. These are offered to the setting and rising sun as part of the rituals.
Bamboo items such as winnowing trays, flat baskets, large baskets and carrying baskets are also in demand. Other essentials include clay elephants, oil lamps, incense sticks, assorted dried fruits and nuts, and other ritual items.
Chhath is celebrated by offering prayers and arghya (ritual offerings) to the setting and rising sun. Devotees observe the rituals while standing in rivers, ponds and other water bodies.
Traditionally celebrated with great fervour in the Tarai-Madhesh, the festival has increasingly gained popularity in Kathmandu Valley and other parts of the country.
Nepal Photo Library is a Kathmandu-based news photography agency.
