Chhath Puja Festival

BHOPAL, INDIA - OCTOBER 30: A Hindu lady applying vermillion on forehead after offering prayer to the rising sun on the occasion of Chhat Festival, on October 30, 2014 in Bhopal, India. Chhath puja is a major festival of Bihar, which is performed in order to thank Sun for sustaining life on earth. Chhath puja is observed as Surya Shashti, which is the sixth day of the month of Kartik (Hindu lunar calendar). The word Chhath means number six, thus the festival begins on the sixth day of this Hindu month, typically in the month of October or November in the Gregorian calendar. Chhath Puja demands an arduous observance, which requires the worshipers to fast without water for around thirty six hours. (Photo by Mujeeb Faruqui/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)