PATNA: Thousands of people dressed in colorful clothes thronged the different ghats here as a four-day Chhath festival begins with ‘nahay-khay’ on Monday.
Ganga ghats resound with cries of devotional and folk songs which creates a soothing melodious and vibrant atmosphere since the morning.
Chhath vratis and their family members taking dips in holy water of the Ganges to wash their sins, cleaned houses and their equipment with Ganges water and prasad cooked like rice, chana dal and bottle gourd on ‘nahay-khay’.
In accordance confidence, which vratis taking prasad is to purify the body before the actual ritual and 36-hour-long fast.
Bhakta seen taking water in a brass pot footsteps Gandhi Ghat where the maximum was registered on Monday.
The people, mostly married women sing songs of praise dedicated to the Sun God, seen drying wheat and rice to ‘kharna’ prasad in the Ghats.
Soni Devi (43), a resident of Prithviraj Path, said after bathing and prayer, prasad she cooks on the stove ground using dry mango wood.
“I have bought all the ingredients in the ghat.
We could not perform the ritual at the ghat last year because of restrictions Covid, “he said.
Rama Sahay, another devotee who was accompanied by her husband, daughter and sister-in-law in Digha Ghat, said he had observed the fast during Chhath over the last 12 years.
“This is a festival when all family members get together and help each other to perform the ritual,” he said.
Ragini Kashyap, a devotee of Kali Ghat, saying, “I am using the Ganga water to prepare prasad.
fast begins after dinner Kaddu and rice.
Now, I will eat only kheer at kharna, “he said.
Some people praised the arrangements made at the ghats by the district government.
Kamalkant Singh, a resident of Arya Kumar Road, said the arrangements were better than the previous year at the College of Law Ghat.
“These Ghat much cleaner and there are some locker rooms and urinals separate from drinking water facilities.
My wife, Deepali, observing fast and I join him in offering arghya, “he said.