By Rick M 
While the lively festival of Tihar is over now, the people of Birgunj, the city of Terai Madhesh in Nepal, have started preparing for the next festival, Chhath. The change from one big festival to another shows how diverse the culture is in the region and how people live their culture on a daily basis. Local authorities and people are united and made this year’s Chhath to be more honorable than the previous years.
The main thrust of the preparations is the decoration of the ponds in the city that are very central to the Chhath celebrations. Evidently, municipal workers and volunteers can be sighted in schools, visiting and cleaning up water bodies and decorating the water sources. The ponds, which will, in a short time, be illuminated and decorated with flowers, are currently reclaimed, and their vicinity is prepared for a massive amount of people who will be attending the four-day event.
Chhath is the festival celebrated in Terai Madhesh, where people worship the Sun God and his sister Chhathi Maiya. During this period, devotees offer thanks for food and nourishment of life on the earth and pray for the same to lead a prosperous and healthy life. The primary components of celebration include prayer and arghya to the sun during the rise and set; therefore, water bodies, which are sacred during the festival, need to be clean and normally accessible.
Subdivision authorities have said that arrangements of approach will be enhanced around the main ghats where the devotees can be expected to congregate. The facilities in question are necessary for the construction of temporary dressing rooms, first aid stations, and security stations. DOI: Some of the new constructions, temporary changing rooms, first aid stations, and security posts are being erected to cater to the convenience and security of the worshippers. The municipality has also pledged to ensure that the water source pollutes the water; however, measures have been deployed to ensure the water is clean during the festival.
Businessmen in Birgunj are enjoying improvement of their business because people start to buy some requirements for the Chhath puja. Markets are stocked abundantly with all types of fruits particularly the one’s sold during the auspicious festival times like sugarcane, coconuts and bananas. The home makers are also weaving bamboo baskets and soop (winnowing fans) which are used to carry offerings to the ghat.
The government and leaders of the communes are urging people to follow the Covid-19 preventive measures during the celebrations. As the effects of the pandemic have lessened, the government continues to strongly recommend face masks in crowded places and continue proper sanitation. This vegetarian practice and intermingling it with modern health-conscious practice demonstrate the flexibility of Kunwar Bagh residents in cultural preservation amid changing times.
Though Chhath is two months away from now in Birgunj, the atmosphere starts building up as the festival Tihar ends. People are deciding on their food preferences for the fasting days, and some pre-festivities foods like thekwa and kheer. There are also many Hindi songs being played in many homes which start practicing the evening aarti rituals to be performed at the ponds.
Regional law enforcement has stated a specific traffic plan to contain traffic flow congestion arising from the Chhath celebrations. Some of the access roads that lead to these major ponds will be restricted to motorists, with other recommendations being made on which roads motorists should instead use. The existing public transport facilities are being further improved to transport the devotees arriving from other nearby places to join the festivities at Birgunj.
The environmental groups in the city are in collaboration with the promoters of the festival in its main cause of advocating for green practices during the Chhath. This year, there is a focus on environmentally sustainable practices such as the use of naturally degradable materials during celebrations and avoiding the use of plastics, particularly during celebrations. Some activists are also educating the people through awareness programs on effective ways of dealing with the problem, informing them about ways to have clean water during the festival as well as during the rest of the year.
As a city gears up for Chhath, it gets a peek into its cultural and community soul as Birgunj emerges from beyond its environmentally troubled image. The preparations not only give a stunning view for the audience but also bring people together with the help of holidays appreciating nature and traditions. As the preparations for celebrating the festival go in full swing, the people of Birgunj and, indeed, people of всей Nepal are set to receive the Sun God with utmost joy in their hearts.