The four-day Chhath Puja festival began on Saturday with the Nahay-Khay ritual, marking the start of prayers to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya, celebrated with devotion, discipline across India.
This year, the festival is being celebrated amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and many devotees said that they prayed to Chhathi Maiyya to keep everyone safe from the virus. "I am keeping fast without water for four days. We will pray to Chhathi Maiyya to keep everyone safe from COVID-19," says Rinku Devi, a devotee, after taking a dip in the river.
Bihar has been cleaning its homes and surroundings, including the narrowest of lanes, and especially the roads leading to the Ganga ghats and the ponds. Devotional songs can be heard every where you go during Chhath, says M I Khan.
