Kathmandu. The great festival of Chhath, associated with the main faith, devotion, and nature worship of Hindus, is being celebrated with great fanfare today by performing rituals to the Sun God. This festival, celebrated by Hindus in Nepal and India, especially after the Tihar festival, begins on Kartik Shukla Chaturthi and concludes on Saptami by offering Arghya to the rising sun. This festival, which conveys messages of non-violence, altruism, and goodwill, is primarily a great festival of the people of Terai and Madhesh, but in recent times, all Nepalis living in the Himalayan and hilly regions have also started celebrating it with equal devotion and enthusiasm.
The first day of this festival, celebrated with utmost devotion for four days, Kartik Shukla Chaturthi, is called 'Nahay-Khay'. On this day, devotees bathe early in the morning, cut their nails, clean the house, and consume sattvic food such as clean rice, lentils, and bottle gourd curry. The second day of the festival, Panchami, is called 'Kharna', during which devotees observe a fast throughout the day and bathe in a sacred reservoir in the evening. After that, they start the main fast by cooking kheer (Rasiyakheer) made from milk, rice, and jaggery as prasad.
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