Devotees bathe in a river, usually the Ganges, on the first day of Chhath Puja. They also bring home the water they have collected from the Ganges. They use that water to prepare food. During this period, followers only eat once a day. They get their home clean and ready for the celebration.
On Panchami, devotees fast all day and break their fast the moment the sun sets. They go shopping for the necessary ingredients for Chhath Puja and prepare chapatis and rasao kheer. They break their fast by eating this prasad after offering the bhog to Chhatti Maiya.
Preparing for the offering takes up the entire day. The believers celebrate the setting sun by taking their family to the banks of a river in the evenings. Devotees present their Sandhya Arghya and sing traditional melodies.
Usha Arghya or Bihaniya Arghya is the morning water ( Arghya ) offered to the Sun God. At the riverbanks, the devotees assemble with their families and wait for dawn. They then enter the river to offer Usha Arghya to the Sun God and distribute prasad to everyone after receiving blessings from the elders at the ghat.
A strong bond between spirituality and nature characterises Chhath Puja. The festival's environmental features, such as standing in the water and making use of organic materials like sugarcane and banana leaves, highlight the harmony that the festival's participants strive for with the natural world.
Chhath Puja captures the spirit of discipline, thankfulness, and the never-ending circle of life. On the last day of festivities, when the sun sets, a sense of spiritual satisfaction and togetherness among the community is left behind that lasts until next year's celebration.