Hundreds of Indian-Americans gathered on the banks of the historic Potomac River in the suburbs here to perform Chhath Pooja with several women attired in colorful saree worshipping the Sun God.
Chhath Pooja entails worship of the Sun God, embodied in cosmic energy, and is observed mainly by people from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The Chhath celebration expanded this year as Indian- Americans in New Jersey for the first time gathered on a lakeside in Monroe township to perform the pooja.
Hundreds of Indian-Americans from in and around Maryland and Virginia area gathered on the banks of the Potomac river as nearly a dozen fasting women entered the river water on Thursday evening and early morning on Friday to worship the Sun God.
"From just me and my family members and a few friends, this has now become a big community event," said Anita Singh, who has been organising the event for the past ten years now.
Started by the Singh couple Kripa and Anita -- Chhath Pooja celebrations on the banks of the Potomac river attracted people from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Atlanta in addition to the Greater Washington area of Maryland and Virginia.
The Singh family have been doing this for a decade now at the same place on the river bank, which in addition to hundreds of Indian-Americans have also started attracting several curious onlookers.
An individual initiative so far, the Chhath celebrations this year attracted dozens of volunteers from near and far who helped the Singh family in every aspect of the festival from elaborate rituals, to the big community event on the river bank.
They volunteered to provide free snacks to the visitors on Friday morning.
Given the large turnout of the community members in the few years, Kripa Singh said they have now started looking for a parcel of land on the bank of Potomac river which can be developed into a traditional "Ghat" steps leading to the river for the annual celebration of the Chhath festival.
Inspired by the Chhath Pooja celebrations on the Potomac river bank, the Bihar Jharkhand Association of North America (BAJANA) organised the festival for the first time ever in New Jersey.
Over 300 devotees from all around New Jersey and the tri-state area got together at the lakeside of Thompson Park, Monroe township to offer their prayers to the rising and setting sun.
"Volunteers got together in advance to make prasad for the members attending the pooja. The cold weather and frozen feet did not stop the devotees from entering the water and offer the 'Arag' to the Sun God," said Alok Kumar from BAJANA.
"Everyone was emotional attending the event because they were attending it for decades! Having the chance to attend it here at home in New Jersey was a dream come true," Kumar said.
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