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Learn the story behind Chhath! It is early morning on the banks of the Yamuna in Delhi. Women taking dips in the river are Vratins - women who, in the next couple of days, would be fasting and also offering prayers to the Sun god. As the sun rises, people pray to the sun and give thanks for all the light and life it has given to the world. It is the month of Karthik in India, which starts around late October and ends in mid November. The occasion is Chhath Puja - an age-old ritual dating back to the Vedas and believed to have been observed by Draupadi of the Mahabharata. Chhath, literally means 'sixth', and this day is the sixth day of the month of Karthik. It is believed that the 'Maga Purohits' from the Vedic Age had started this tradition of Sun worship. The Chhath ritual might even pre
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