Shillong, Nov 10: Chhath puja is here and the festive fervour can be felt everywhere. This year the four-day festival began on 8th November and will continue till 11th November.In Shillong, devotees thronged many river banks to offer prayers on Wednesday, the same being the case in other parts of the State..

Men and women carried offerings to Sun God and sang religious songs to mark the auspicious occasion.Chhath Puja, the ancient Hindu Vedic festival dedicated to the sun for bestowing the bounties of life on earth and to seek the granting of certain wishes, was also celebrated in Tura with hundreds of devotees gathering on the banks of the Babupara stream to offer prayers and seek blessings.

In Tura, worshippers of Chhath Puja, particularly the Bihari community of Garo Hills, actively took part in the celebrations with a large number of womenfolk in colourful attire offering puja on the banks of the stream while the men carried the offerings to the venue.The rituals of the festival are rigorous and observed over four days particularly by the women devotees called Parvaitin, who pray for the wellbeing of their families and the prosperity of their offsprings. These include holy bathing, fasting, and abstaining from drinking water.