From the US to Japan to Mauritius: How Biharis are celebrating Chhath Puja away from home

Social media is filled with stories about people who are heading home in Bihar for the most important festival of the year - ChhathPuja. Exorbitant airfares, waitlisted train tickets and pressure of post Diwali work at office have not been able to dampen the determination of Bihari migrants across the country to make it home for the four-day celebration. But have all of them made it back? Well, the answer is no. Some have stayed back to spread the fervour of the festival across the country and even overseas. The familiar sounds of Chhath songs are echoing not only in New Delhi, but also in America, Canada and Japan. WION tracked Chhath Puja celebrations across the world and spoke to members of the Indian diaspora who are keeping the festival's traditions alive thousands of miles away from home.

JAPAN

Japan, the land of rising sun, became the first to celebrate the festival with devotees praying to the setting sun on Sunday (Nov 15). They will also be the first to offer the ceremonial water to the rising Sun on Monday (Nov 16). The timing for the sunrise in Japanese cities is between 2:47 AM to 3.05 AM (IST). Utsav Singh, a man from Japan's Tokyo shared glimpses of the celebrations. People from several district of Bihar are seen making ‘thekua’, taking part in ‘kharna puja’ and praying to the Sun God. Soop filled with offerings are also seen in the video.

MAURITIUS

In Mauritius, where Bhojpuri and Bihari heritage runs deep, Chhath Puja is celebrated openly along beaches and coastal waters as a major cultural event. Glimpses of the festival in Mauritius was shared on social media by Founder of Undiscovered Ashish Kaushik. In a social media post, Kaushik said that
on 2 November 1834, a ship named Atlas arrived in Mauritius carrying 36 Indian indentured labourers from the Dhangar community, originally from the hills of Bihar. They had signed five-year labour contracts in Calcutta and were brought to Mauritius under British colonial rule. Over the following decades, thousands of people from Bihar made Mauritius their home, carrying their language and traditions – one of the most important being the Chhath Puja.

Speaking to WION, Kaushik shared his experience of being in Mauritius during the festival. "It has been amazing. I had been planning this trip for a while but couldn’t find the right local connect. Then I got in touch with Dr. Avdesh, founder of Swastikam Foundation. His foundation has been organising Chhath celebrations here for the last two years, with support from the local council and the community. The participation and enthusiasm of local people is incredible.

Honestly, it feels like a mini India here. The Bhojpuri songs, traditional attire, rituals and devotion are so similar to Bihar that I never really felt away from home," he said.

The US

The Bihar Jharkhand Association of North America (BJANA) also took the responsibility of organising the Chhath Puja at Thompson Park, Monroe, New Jersey. Over 1,500 members attended this celebration in New Jersey. "We started celebrating Chhath puja in the US more than 5 years ago, and with each year diaspora members got attached in large numbers and today we are seeing more than 1500 devotees celebrating here," said Vandana Vatsyan, a community member of BJANA. Sharing glimpses of the festival, Karun Krishna, a Bihari immigrant in California showed how they celebrated the first day of Chhath Puja. “The tradition should not be broken, no matter where you are. It doesn't matter if it is India or America,” he said.

For the first day of Chhath Puja which is known as “Nhay Khaye”, devotees take bath and begin the four-day celebration with offerings to the Sun God. The Bihari community in the US also did the same. Videos showed them cooking bottle gourd with pulses and plain steamed white rice. This meal leads to beginning of 36-hour waterless fast.

Similarly, Richa Mishra, a resident of Houston in USA showed how the riverbank has been decorated for the festival. She said that the venue was Jagannath Hindu Temple of Rosenberg and several Bihari families have gathered together to celebrate the festival. Sharing visuals on her social media profile, she showed how the Indian-Americans may be far from their homeland, but the spirit of togetherness that the festival of Chhath brings is alive in America as well. The tradition has found a news place far beyond India's borders. From making ‘kheer and puri’ on kharna day to making ‘thekua’ for the offerings, they don't miss out on a single ritual, says Mishra to WION. “We make it a point to feel at home even when we are miles away,” she added. Videos shared by Mishra showed devotees lighting earthen lamps (diya) and offers the freshly cooked pudding, along with bananas, betel leaves, and water, to Chhathi Maiya and Sun God.

Rashmi and Abhinav from Arizona also shared glimpses of Chhath Puja in their city. At most places in the US, community members gathers at one place to cook food and 'prasad' for the offerings. "More than three hundred people gather for the celebrations in Massachusetts," said Rajesh Singh from Massachusetts. Diaspora organisations and temple committees host major public gatherings near lakes, riverbanks, and temple ponds. Volunteers coordinate permits, parking, and community meals, while devotees time their Sandhya Arghya (evening offering) and Usha Arghya (morning offering) to local sunset and sunrise schedules.

DUBAI

The UK