"Chhath is being celebrated in Delhi in grand and spectacular manner": CM Rekha Gupta

New Delhi [India], October 26 (ANI): Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday said Chhath festival is being celebrated in the national capital in a grand and spectacular manner, with full preparations.
She also said that arrangements had been made for devotees, including celebrations on the banks of the Yamuna River.
Speaking to the reporters, Rekha Gupta said, "...This year, the Chhath festival is being celebrated in Delhi in a grand and spectacular manner. Preparations are in full swing everywhere... The government has fulfilled its responsibility, and arrangements have been made to ensure that people do not face any inconvenience. It is a matter of joy that after many years, Chhath Puja is being celebrated on the banks of the Yamuna River..."
Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that Monday, October 27, will be a public holiday on account of the Chhath festival, CMO said in a statement.
After Diwali, the Delhi government aims to celebrate Chhath Puja with "grandeur" and "divinity," as more than 1,000 ghats have been set up for the four-day festival, Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said.
The Hindu festival of Chhath, which lasts for four days, commenced on Saturday with the first ritual, 'Nahay Khay,' drawing massive crowds at various ghats. Devotees thronged riverbanks to take a holy dip and offer prayers to the Sun God, marking the beginning of the auspicious Chhath Mahaparv.
This year, the festival will be celebrated from October 25 to 28, with rituals including Nahay-Khay on Chaturthi Tithi of Kartik Shukla Paksha, Kharna on Panchami, Chhath Puja on Sashti, and concluding Usha Arghya on Saptami.
On Sunday, the second day of Chhath Puja, known as Kharna, devotees are observing a fast from sunrise to sunset, abstaining from both food and water. The fast is broken only after making offerings to the Sun God at sunset.
Dedicated to the worship of the Sun god and his sister Chhathi Maiya, the festival emphasises purity, gratitude, and the well-being of one's family. (ANI)