
Surya
Chhath Puja is an ancient Hindu festival dedicated to Surya (Sun God) and Chhathi Maiya. Celebrated mainly in Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern UP, devotees observe 36 hours of strict fasting without water, stand in rivers or water bodies at dawn and dusk, and offer prayers and prasad to the setting and rising sun. It is one of the most rigorous and ecologically pure festivals -- no idols, no priests, and performed at natural water bodies.