Chhath

Chhath is an ancient Indo-Nepalese Hindu festival, native to Nepal and East India. It is celebrated especially in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Eastern Uttar Pradesh; and the Nepalese Autonomous provinces of Koshi, Lumbini, and Madhesh. In the major northern urban centres, hundreds of thousands of Nepalis and East Indians celebrate it in cities including Kathmandu Valley, Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta. During Chhath Puja, prayers are dedicated to the solar deity, Surya: to show gratitude for bestowing the bounties of life on Earth and to request that certain wishes be granted.