Families return to Madhesh province for Chhath festival preparations

People in the Madhesh Province of Nepal are preparing for Chhath, a major religious festival that focuses on worshipping the sun.

Organizers and locals are currently cleaning and decorating riverbanks, ponds, and other water bodies used for the rituals. In cities like Birgunj, residents are setting up temporary pavilions and decorations at sites such as Ghadiarwa, Murli, and Nagwa. These preparations occur as the region transitions from celebrating Dashain and Tihar to welcoming Chhathi Maiya, the goddess associated with Chhath.

The festival acts as a period of family reunion as people who live abroad or in other parts of Nepal return to their hometowns. This influx of people creates a seasonal boost for local businesses, increasing the demand for new clothes, bamboo products, fruit, and specific worship items like thekuwa, a traditional sweet. Devotees follow a strict four-day observance that involves bathing, specific meals, and a fast where they abstain from both food and water.

During the main rituals, people carry bamboo baskets containing coconuts, ginger, and sugarcane to the water's edge to offer prayers to the sun at both sunset and sunrise. While the festival is a defining part of the cultural identity of the Tarai-Madhesh region, it is increasingly observed across the wider landscape of Nepal.