Devotees in Meerut offering Usha Arghya to the rising Sun during Chhath Puja 2025, symbolizing purity, gratitude and divine devotion (Photo: Pinterest)
Among the numerous colorful Hindu festivals, Chhath Puja is unique for its discipline, faith, and eco-friendliness. It is dedicated to Lord Surya (the Sun God) and Chhathi Maiya and symbolizes mankind's ever-lasting gratitude to the giver of all life. In Meerut and throughout northern India, the people celebrate this ancient festival with utmost respect, fasting and offerings that symbolize purity of body, mind, and spirit.
In 2025, the Chhath Puja celebrations will be held over four holy days from October 25 (Saturday) through October 28 (Tuesday).
Each day has special spiritual meaning, taking the followers through rituals that cleanse the self as well as the environment.
In Meerut, the Usha Arghya, or offering to the dawn Sun, will be done on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at about 6:27 AM. Devotees collect near the Ganga canal, ponds, or makeshift ghats, bamboo basket in hand with Thekua, sugarcane and fruits offer them to the first light of dawn reciting hymns of thanks.
As per the Panchang (Hindu calendar):
These times are regarded as most suitable for offering the offerings and chanting the traditional Surya Arghya Mantras.
In Meerut, the celebration is done with utmost oneness and fervor. Ganga Canal ghats, Kali Paltan Temple, and Surajkund are all filled with devotees. The city glows with diyas (lamps) and marigold flowers, and families observe fasts together and pray for the good fortune, well-being, and happiness of their family members.
The four-day festival is marked by a string of rigorous rituals:
Paran is the ritual of breaking the 36-hour waterless fast following the morning Arghya. Devotees break their fast by consuming prasad usually Thekua, fruits and water indicating the end of devotion and self-restraint. The ritual also symbolizes the union of human endurance and divine grace.
Paran for Chhath Puja 2025 will be celebrated on Tuesday, October 28, following the Usha Arghya. Families go back home, exchange prasad, and blessings, which brings the Mahaparv (grand festival) to an end with love and togetherness.
The festival is rich in cultural and spiritual significance. The ancient texts associate Chhath Puja with the period of King Mahabali and Pandavas, reflecting purity and determination. Sun God worship signifies the recognition of nature's crucial role in supporting existence. The festival places prime importance on ecological equilibrium, promoting clean water, natural offerings, and zero wastage values that resonate well in the modern era.
Disclaimer: All timings are based on regional Panchang estimates. Local variations may occur. Devotees should confirm exact muhurat with temple priests or experts.
