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.
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Seers from various 'akharas' took the first 'Amrit Snan' at the Maha Kumbh on Makar Sankranti on Tuesday as an unbroken stream of people converged at the Triveni Sangam on the occasion with around 3.5 crore devotees taking a dip.
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A women offers prayers to the Sun God on the occasion of the Chhath Puja in Bhubaneswar.
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After two years of restrictions due to COVID-19, devotional fervour gushed forth across Bihar and parts of India where Biharis are in present on Sunday when salutations were offered to the setting sun on the auspicious occasion of Chhath.
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While people gathered at Lucknow's Gomti riverfront, the Ganga banks in Varanasi and Patna were abuzz with devotees, keeping the COVID-19 protocols at bay.
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Amid the continuous rise in Covid-19 cases, the Haridwar administration has banned devotees from taking a holy dip in the Ganga on Makar Sankranti, January 14.
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The annual festival dedicated to the Sun god will be celebrated on Friday and Saturday by people who originally hail from north India and are residing in the metropolis. In the past, the festival used to see large number of people thronging prominent beaches, river banks and other water bodies to make offerings to the Sun god at sunrise and sunset.
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.
People visit riverbanks during the festival to pay obeisance to the sun god at dawn as well as dusk, preferably just prior to the sunrise and sunset.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Friday allowed Chhath Puja celebrations at designated sites in the city except the banks of Yamuna river.
Lakhs of devotees converged at Juhu beach in suburban Mumbai to offer prayers to the Sun God as part of the Chhath Puja festivities which began on Tuesday.
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Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday appealed to rival leaders to "not do politics" over Chhath Puja, even as he asserted that the restrictions imposed on its celebrations at riverbanks and other public places were for the safety of people amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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Masks were not worn by a large proportion and social distancing appeared impossible in an event in which, according to the mela administration, over 17 lakh people had taken a dip in the river in the first few hours up to 10 am.
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Since the Supreme Court has banned the bull-taming sport of Jallikattu, normally conducted on Mattu Pongal day, the festival is expected to be low-key in Madurai and neighbouring districts, where it is widely popular.
The four-day long Chhath festival ended on Thursday with millions, braving the chill and taking a dip in the river to offer prayers to the rising sun.
Effects of the pandemic were all too stark as the rituals were performed with face masks on.
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Sticking to an age-old tradition, thousands of people in Bihar drank water from the Ganga, which is unfit for human consumption, during the recently concluded Chhath festivities.
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