Video narration
Why would people pray to the sun as it sets-and then gather again at sunrise? If you've seen people gathered beside water at those hours, the timing is the key. We depend on sunlight every day. It brings warmth and helps sustain the life around us, so its presence is easy to take for granted until the light begins to fade. Chhath Puja is a Hindu observance that turns attention to this daily source of life. Devotees offer prayers and offerings near water, honoring the sun and Chhathi Maiya, the goddess also honored in the festival. But sunset is not the end. At dawn, they return to honor the sun as it rises, with prayers and offerings again. Many devotees fast, though practices vary. They pray at both moments to give thanks for the sun's life-sustaining presence and ask for well-being.