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DUBAI, 30 October (IANS) As expats from the eastern states of UP and Bihar celebrate Chhath Puja in the UAE, it is a relatively new celebration in the country compared to other traditional Indian festivals.
While it’s popular here, it has an interesting story behind it.
Pramod Singh, a Dubai resident and a native of Siwan, Bihar, was celebrating the birth of his daughter in 2015 when his mother was also in Dubai. On November 17, his mother expressed her desire to perform Chhath Puja. For the first time in Dubai, Pramod and his 4-5 family members visited the Jumeirah Open Beach and performed Chhath Puja and other ceremonies.
Since then, the number of devotees has increased year by year. Today, the festival is celebrated on the beaches of Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman with a considerable number of devotees.
Pramod Singh, who also manages a group in Dubai called ‘Bhojpuria Samaj’, said: “It’s not just to connect with our roots, but to introduce it to the next generation we are born and raised here. Today We can see Chhath Puja being held not only on the beach but also at the social, labour camp and community level.”
Nabin Kumar, a professional engineer and a Baliya from UP, first performed Chhath Puja in Abu Dhabi in 2017 and has held it every year at Mamzar Beach since then.
“Through Chhath Puja, we are upholding our ancestral traditions and identity. We are grateful to the local government for allowing us to conduct Puja in accordance with the guidelines of the municipality. This year, we expect more than 300 people to attend the puja and ‘Arghya’ at Mamzar Beach. Earlier, the pujas took place on Dubai’s two main beaches, but now people celebrate Chhath in many places, including private pools in local lakes,” Kumar said.
Meraj Khan, from Munger, Bihar, said: “After Onam, this is the only festival that transcends religion and marks us all coming together in one place with our regional and linguistic identities. With ‘Thekua’ (traditional Sweets made during Chhath) brought me back to my roots.”
The main challenge is to introduce Chhath Puja to a new generation born and raised here who have never visited India during the festival.
Kumar said that to appeal to the younger generation, they use the term “Bihar and UP Thanksgiving” because Thanksgiving is popular in the UAE due to European influences and children are more familiar with it.
“I explained to my daughter and her friends that Chhath Puja is a way of expressing our gratitude for the sun, nature, water and air in our traditional style. We also organize music events and other family events during Chhath to make The kids are involved,” Kumar said.
As the participation of Hindi-speaking expats continues to increase, the local market is adapting to it. During Chhath, most of the ingredients needed for the festival can now be easily found in Indian stores.
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