Chaiti Chhath festival concludes under coronavirus shadow

Chaiti Chhath, a four-day festival, concluded on Tuesday with people offering prayers to the rising Sun from their respective houses amid nationwide lockdown in view of coronavirus. The people wore masks and maintained required physical distance from each other while performing rituals.

Patna (Bihar) : Number of devotees here offered prayers to the rising Sun to mark the conclusion of the four-day long Chaiti Chhath festival wearing masks in the wake of coronavirus.

People, mainly women, performed all rituals on the occasion from their houses and did not go to rivers or ponds and honoured the lock down imposed by the central government to deal with the deadly virus, which has affected lakhs of people across the world.

The devotees wore masks and also maintained required physical distance from each other while performing the rituals.

One of the devotees Tanuj Devi told ETV Bharat that she and her family members celebrated the festival at home and performed all rituals from there only.

"I prayed to God to free India from coronavirus, this is all I want from the lord," she said.

Chaiti Chhath, a four-day festival, is celebrated between March 28 and March 31. During the festival, devotees offer prayers to the sun God. On the third day, prayers are offered to setting sun, while on the fourth day the rising sun is worshiped. Chhath Puja is observed twice a year – one in March-April and the other one after Diwali.