Chhath Puja celebrated in the United States by American Indians

The Chhath Puja was celebrated with religious fervor by American Indians in the United States.

Hundreds of Indian Americans have flocked to the banks of rivers, lakes and makeshift bodies of water across the United States to worship the Sun God and celebrate Chhath Puja.

Last year, people had gathered in small numbers due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but this year a considerable number of worshipers joined in the celebrations with their families and friends.

Many have traveled several hundred kilometers to reach the nearest place to celebrate the festival. In a Washington DC, Virginia suburb, more than 400 Native Americans traveled Wednesday evening and Thursday morning to the banks of the Potomac River to worship the sunset and sunrise.

Chhath is mostly celebrated in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh. During the festival, people fast, bathe in rivers and pray to thank the Sun God for granting the blessings of life on earth and for granting wishes.

“We expect this event to fully resume to reach the initial workforce of 800 by next year,” said Kripa Singh, a prominent Indo-American community leader in the greater Washington area.

The entire series of events from “Kharna” to the “Arghya” morning were broadcast live on Zoom and Facebook for people who were unable to join in person due to the pandemic and for their families based at the. foreigner in India and Nepal.

The Bihar Jharkhand Association of North America (BJANA) held its fifth consecutive Chhath Puja celebrations at Thompson Park, Monroe, New Jersey.

In addition to being celebrated in Arizona, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Florida and Texas, the festival made its Connecticut debut this year and brought together dozens of American Indians.

In most places, community members have gathered at one place to prepare food and “prasad” for the offerings.

“Nothing brings people together like festivals do. The Indian diaspora in the United States, mainly from Bihar, Jharkhand and Eastern UP, at the Chhath ghat in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States,” The Bihar Foundation said in a tweet, sharing photos of people celebrating Chhath.

In several other tweets, the foundation shared photos and videos of Chhath’s celebrations across the United States and in various other parts of the world.

The Bihar Foundation is an initiative of the government of Bihar aimed at facilitating interaction between the state and the diaspora. (With PTI inputs)