Team Herald
VASCO: Hundreds of devotees from north India performed Chhath Puja at Baina beach in Vasco on Sunday. The four-day festival, wherein prayers are offered to Sun and ‘Chhati Maiya’, is a grand one for those who hail from Bihar and other parts of North India.
“We have been coming to Baina beach since last seven years to offer our prayers to Sun god to conclude the four day long festival with great pomp and gaiety and every year more and more people from Mormugao have been joining the celebration at Baina” said a devotee.
Chhath Puja is a festival of rituals and celebrations. This ritual is religiously carried on every year in the northern states of India since times immemorial. The festival is a demonstration of gratitude towards the Sun God, considered God of Energy and of the life-force.
It is a festival of penance and prayers. The festival is special because prayers are offered to the setting sun and the rising sun, which is symbolic of death and rebirth. Not only Sun God is expected to bestow the worshippers with prosperity, progress and well-being, it is also said to cure a variety of diseases, including leprosy, and ensure the longevity and prosperity of family members, friends and elders.
The Baina beach in Vasco wore festive look on Sunday after thousands of devotees flocked to the beach to perform prayers along with family and friends.
