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VOL. 7, ISSUE 6 (2025)
Chhath Mahāparva: A socio-historical study of folk continuity and cultural civilization in North India
Authors
Dheeraj Pratap Mitra
Abstract
Chhath Mahāparva is not just a festival; it is
a living symbol of India’s folk civilization and its deep emotional connection
with nature, folk language and community life. Rooted in the fertile cultural
belt of Magadh, Mithila and the Terai region, this tradition reflects the
gratitude of ordinary people towards the forces of nature like Sun, Water and
Earth that sustain existence. Unlike the elaborate priest led rituals of the
Vedic tradition, Chhath is simple, direct and inclusive. It belongs to the
people who live close to the soil and the river, to women who bear the weight
of faith through silence, fasting with devotion. Every element of the festival
as its language, songs, rituals, prasad elements etc. speaks of a civilization
that finds divinity in nature and dignity in restraint. The words chhaṭh, ṭhekua,
kharnā and arghya come from the Prakrit and Bhojpuri tongues not Sanskrit showing
how spirituality survives most authentically in the language of the people. The
four-day sequence of Nahay-Khay, Kharnā, Sandhyā Arghya, and Uṣā Arghya forms a
journey of purification and moral renewal turning the everyday into the sacred.
The act of offering water to the setting and rising sun is both a prayer and a
promise a gesture of balance, gratitude and hope. Women, at the center of this
festival, represent strength, purity, compassion leading rituals that affirm
both equality and ecological awareness. This study views Chhath Mahāparva as a
lived folk tradition that preserves ancient moral-environmental wisdom through
everyday practices rather than scriptures. Using a socio-historical and
linguistic approach supported by field observation, the research explores how
Chhath continues to connect individuals, families and the natural world in one
moral rhythm. It shows that Chhath is not a ritual of the past but a living
heritage that keeps alive the spirit of harmony, humility and collective
humanity in North Indian civilization.
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Pages:41-51
How to cite this article:
Dheeraj Pratap Mitra "Chhath Mahāparva: A socio-historical study of folk continuity and cultural civilization in North India". International Journal of Social Science and Humanities, Vol 7, Issue 6, 2025, Pages 41-51
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