Chhath Puja in US! ‘Now even Americans ask for prasad’, say Indian-Americans in Virginia

financialexpress.com:

Hundreds of Indian-Americans gathered in Virginia, US, to celebrate the auspicious Chhath Puja. During this four-day event, devotees observe a fast and gather along riverbanks and ponds to offer prayers to the Sun God.

The festival began on November 6 and will conclude on November 8.

How did people celebrate Chhath Puja in the US?

Community members in Virginia celebrated Chhath Puja with the traditional Kharna observance on Wednesday. For Kharna, the devotees fast from sunrise to sunset. They abstain from drinking water to purify themselves physically and spiritually.

Community members gathered for the celebrations in Virginia after obtaining permission from local authorities to conduct the rituals along a riverbank in their town. “When we came here, we were worried about how to do Chhath puja in this new country, where would we find a river was also a concern. So one day our whole group went to a park that was beside a river, and we thought it was a good enough space for Chhath if we got the permission,” a resident told PTI.

“We contacted the county and park authorities, and they told us that they don’t have any problem. Since then, every year Chhath is celebrated near that river, and today there are around 700 people who come near that lake to celebrate the festival,” they added.

“Now even the Americans come to ask for prasad. When we give them Thekua (fritters), they are happy to eat it. It was possible to celebrate Chhath beside the river because of my friends here. In the first year, it was just 7-8 families who started the celebration, but now a lot of families come to the ghat, so it feels really good,” another resident said.

(With PTI inputs)