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This year's Chhath festival concluded today by offering Argha to the rising sun this morning. The four-day festival that began last Saturday was celebrated with main puja last evening and concluded today by offering Argha to the rising sun.

This festival concluded with much fanfare by offering curd (Argha) to the rising sun in the rivers and ponds across the country including the districts of Kathmandu.

Chhath was marked in a grand manner in the districts of Mahottari, Dhanusha, Siraha and Saptari in Mithila and others. The festival was celebrated with rituals on the banks of ponds, lakes and rivulets. The feature of the festival is to increase human being's interest in the truth and non-violence and encourage them to remain sympathetic to all living creatures.

The rising and setting suns are worshipped with devotion in the festival which is considered an attractive system of prayers to the Sun God.

There was a crowd of devotees and enthusiasts on the banks of ponds, rivers, rivulets and lakes in the festival. Chhath is a festival of goodwill, faith, and social harmony as people from all backgrounds come together in a common place to offer worship to the Sun God. It is widely believed that appeasing the Sun God brings happiness, prosperity, well-being, and longevity to family members.

The devotees observed fasting the whole day and performed puja for their ancestral deities to welcome the goddess of Sashti. Devotees consume fruits just one time on the second day of Chhath festival. There is a tradition of offering Argha to the setting sun and worshipping it in the evening by observing fast on Kartik Shukla Sasthi -- the main day of the festival.

On this day, devotees observe fasting and even do not drink water. There is a religious belief that no one will suffer from skin disease if Argha is offered by worshipping the sun ritually.

India and ASEAN nations strengthened their bond at the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted key areas for collaboration—counter—terrorism, early review of the ASEAN-India FTA, maritime security, among others.

The Prime Minister stated that terrorism poses a serious challenge to global peace and security and stressed the importance of unity in the fight against it, according to the Ministry of External Affairs press release.

PM Modi participated virtually in the Summit. The Prime Minister and ASEAN leaders jointly reviewed progress in ASEAN-India relations and discussed initiatives to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This was the Prime Minister’s 12th participation in the India-ASEAN Summit.

Prime Minister Modi Emphasized that early review of the ASEAN-India FTA (AITIGA) can unleash the full economic potential of our relationship for the benefit of our peoples and further strengthen regional cooperation. (ANI)

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 2, 000 per tola in the domestic market on Monday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 239, 900 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 241, 900 per tola on Sunday.

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by Rs 35 and is being traded at Rs 2, 980 per tola.

Chhath, an important festival of the people of Tarai-Madhes that aims to increase human interest in non-violence and encourage compassion for all living beings, is in full swing. Devotees are busy celebrating Chhath in the districts of Tarai-Madhes, including in the religio-cultural capital of Janakpurdham.

Preparations for Chhath, which is a festival of special hardship for the women of Mithilani, Tharu and Bhojpuri among the main festivals of Tarai-Madhes, are in full swing in the districts of Tarai-Madhes. 

The public is currently busy buying and purchasing the materials required for Chhath, which is a common culture celebrated with rules, integrity and rituals. The general public is busy shopping in the market to buy coconuts, sugarcane, bamboo baskets, nanglo, dhakiya, and clay materials, including coconuts and sugarcane.

This four-day festival of worshipping the Sun, the source of all power, will conclude with a ritual bath on the first day, followed by a ritual offering to the setting sun on the second day, and an offering to the rising sun on the third and rising sun on the fourth day. During the Chhath festival, it is customary to offer fish, meat, garlic, onions, millet, lentils and boiled rice as food items, according to Ram Bharosh Kapadi, president of Madhes Pragya Pratishthan and culture expert. “The purity of the items offered during Chhath has made this festival different from other festivals. In this festival, rice and wheat are carefully examined, washed, dried and ground, not in general, and this special aspect of cleanliness has made this festival different from other festivals,” said cultural expert Kapadi.

This important festival, which has been celebrated among the Madhesi community, has also become popular among the hill communities here for the past few years. Rita Lama of Bardibas says that along with the Mithila women who celebrate Chhath every year, women from the Nepali community have also started celebrating Chhath.

To give grandeur to the Chhath festival, which is mainly celebrated for the purpose of procreation, disease cure and family welfare, dozens of ponds and lakes including the historical Gangasagar, Dhanushsagar, Angrajsar, Maharaj Sagar, Agnikunda, Ratnasagar, Valmiki Sar, Dasharath Talau in Janakpur have been cleaned by various organizations and youth clubs and arrangements have been made for electricity, pandals and other facilities, says Sushal Karna, a youth from Janaki Chowk.

During Chhath, which is celebrated to worship Lord Surya Dev, there is a tradition of offering bananas, sugarcane, a vat, milk, clay elephants and lids as per vows. On the sixth day of the Chhath festival, which is considered the main day of the festival, the devotees who have observed a fast by bathing and washing themselves in the morning have a tradition of offering Argha to the setting sun in the evening by standing in water bodies. In the Tarai-Madhes, this ritual is called the evening Argha or ‘Sazhuka Argha’.

There is a tradition of staying awake all night at a ghat decorated with tents and garlands at water bodies like ponds, wells, lakes and rivers, and offering Argha to the rising sun in the morning on the seventh day. The Argha offered to the rising sun in the morning is called ‘Bhorka Argha’. After offering Argha to the rising sun in this way, Chaiti Chhath is formally completed.