Ub Chhath is celebrated on the Shashthi date of Bhadra Krishna Paksha. Married and unmarried girls observe fast on this day. She remains dehydrated the whole day. Chanan listens to the story of Chhath. Married women do the fast and worship of Ub Chhath for the long life of their husbands and unmarried girls do it to get a suitable groom. The women and girls observing the fast have to remain standing from sunset till the sight of the moon. During this time one cannot sit on the ground, hence it is called Ub Chhath.

Balarama, elder brother of Lord Krishna, is a revered deity in Hinduism. Balarama is often referred to as “Adibhagavan” or the original divine personality. Who is considered to be the supreme personality of God. His birth is celebrated with great enthusiasm on the sixth day of Krishna Paksha in the month of Bhadrapada, coinciding with the Chandan Shashthi or Ub Chhath festival. People consider this day very auspicious as it has great importance in the lunar calendar. His main weapon was the plough, hence Balram ji is also called Haldhar. Therefore, in many states of the country, this day is also called Hal Chhath. On Ub Chhath, people, especially married women and unmarried girls, fast and visit temples dedicated to the Lord. They do this to seek his blessings so that their family can be happy and successful. A special feature of this festival is that they apply sandalwood paste on the idols of God. They make this paste with a lot of love and dedication, and it shows how pure and sacred the festival is.

How to observe Ub Chhath fast?

In the evening, people light lamps to illuminate everything around them. This is a special way of showing that light is more powerful than darkness and knowledge outweighs ignorance. Ub Chhath is not just a religious tradition, it is a special celebration of families coming together. This is a moment when we can strengthen our family bonds and celebrate together. After sunset, after taking bath, we get ready and perform puja. For this, a pot of water is kept on a wooden platform. A Swastika is made with Roli on it and seven dots are placed on it. Wheat is kept in a glass and Dakshina is kept. The story is heard with seven grains of wheat in hand. After listening to the story, the water urn and wheat are taken away and kept. After some time, Arghya is offered to the moon and a glass of wheat and Dakshina is given to the Brahmin. After the rise of the moon, the fast is broken by offering Arghya from a Kalash to the moon.