Lucknow :
Festive colours suffused the ghats of Gomti as devotees poured in to pay their obeisance to Chhath Mata and to perform the first Arghya to the sun god on Wednesday. Puja ceremonies kicked off at sundown, but saw thousands of people gathering on the banks of Gomti well in advance.
As they began the second of their two-day fast, believed to be the toughest there is, the men and women observing the fast showed little sign of stress. As they arrived at the ghats in bright clothes and carefully decorated puja thalis, the banks reverberated with sounds of bhajans and chanting, even as bhog was dished out to devotees. Wearing a bright red and green sari, Geeta Devi, who performed the Chhath puja, said “even though puja can be performed at home, the sentiment at the ghat is completely different. This is a community festival and nothing can match the joy of celebrating it with the entire community. As a result, I have made it a point to come here for 15 years.”
Devotees, many of whom will remain at the ghat until the end of the two-day fast, said this was the toughest part of the six-day Chhath celebrations. A devotee Surabhi Tiwari said, “This is among the toughest fasts observed by the believers. There are very stringent rules people follow. What makes it special is that Chhath remains one of the few festivals where the entire community comes together to celebrate.”
Festivities were not limited to the puja the devotees performed. Bhojpuri artistes were especially commissioned to sing for the crowds and they added to the celebratory mood. The ghat of Lakshman Mela ground resounded with folk music and bhajans sung in Bhojpuri. General secretary of the Bhojpuri Samaj, Manoj Singh, said, “Nearly 1 lakh people performed the pehla arghya, while hundreds of families who came here from distant places are expected to stay at the ghat, overnight. These families will also remain here for the concluding ritual (dusra arghya) today.”
In a separate function organised by the All India Bhojpuri Samaj, Samajwadi Party bahu Aparna Yadav and UP chief secretary’s wife Surabhi Ranjan participated and sang festival songs to add to the celebratory fervour. The function was also attended by former Member of Parliament Rewati Raman Singh and SP minister Abhishek Mishra.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / October 30th, 2014