chhath puja
Chhath puja is dedicated to the sun god Surya. The sun is the god visible to every being, is the basis of life of all creatures on earth. Along with the Sun God, Chhathi Maiya is also worshipped on this day. According to Vedic astrology, Chhathi Maiya or Chhathi Mata protects the offspring and provides longevity to them.
In the Hindu religion, the Shashthi Devi has also been known as Manas, the daughter of Brahma. In the Puranas, she is also said to be the mother Katyayani, who is worshipped on Navratri on the Shashti date. Shashthi Devi is said to be Chhath Maiya in the local language of Bihar.
As per legends, Chhath Puja is being performed from the early Vedic period by sages who would fast for days and perform the puja with mantras from Rigveda. It is believed that Chhath Puja was also performed by Karna, the son of Lord Surya and the king of Anga Desh, which is the modern-day Bhagalpur in Bihar.
According to another legend, Pandavas and Draupadi also performed the Puja to overcome obstacles in their lives and gain their lost kingdom. For the people from Bihar and other close by areas, Chhath Puja is considered as Mahaparva.
Legend:-
The Chhathi Maiya is worshipped on the Chhath festival, which is also mentioned in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana. According to a legend, King Priyavrat, son of First Manu Swayambhu, had no children. Because of this, he used to be very sad. Maharishi Kashyap asked him to do a yajna. According to Maharishis orders, he performed a yajna for a son. After this, Queen Malini gave birth to a son but unfortunately, the baby was born dead. King and other family members were very sad because of this. Only then a craft seen in the sky, where Mata Shashthi was sitting. When the king prayed to her, then she introduced herself and said that - I am the manas daughter of Lord Brahma, Shashthi Devi. I protect all the children of the world and give the blessings of children to all childless parents.
After this, Goddess blessed the lifeless child with her hands, so that he was alive. The king was very pleased with the grace of the Goddess and he worshipped the goddess Shashthi Devi. It is believed that after this puja, this festival is celebrated worldwide.
Chhath is a Vedic ritual dedicated to Hindu solar deity Surya, and goddess Shashthi (also called Chhathi Maiyya). It has also been mentioned in both the major Indian epics - In Ramayana, when Rama and Sita returned Ayodhya, then people celebrated Deepawali, and on its sixth day Ramrajya was established. On this day Rama and Sita kept fast and Surya Shashthi/Chhath Puja was performed by Sita. Hence, she was blessed with Luv and Kush as their sons. While in the Mahabharata, Chhath Puja was performed by Kunti after they escaped from Lakshagrih.
source:- Wikipedia
