Women, Water, and Worship: The Feminist Legacy Hidden in Chhath Puja

In the quiet dawn of Chhath Puja, as the first rays of the sun pierce the mist over the riverbanks, women dressed in saffron and yellow wade into the water with bamboo baskets raised high above their heads. Their faces, serene yet strong, mirror both devotion and defiance. For centuries, these women have led one of India’s most ancient and demanding festivals: Chhath Puja, the worship of the Sun God (Surya) and his consort Usha. But beyond the rituals and songs lies a deeper truth rarely discussed, the feminist spirit embedded in this celebration of endurance, purity, and balance.

While many Hindu rituals are led by priests or patriarchs, Chhath Puja stands apart, it is primarily driven by women. The vratin (the fasting devotee, often a woman) takes on the role of priest, caretaker, and spiritual guide of the household. There is no intermediary between her and the divine. She decides the ritual timings, prepares the offerings, and leads the family to the ghats for arghya (offering to the Sun).

In essence, she embodies Shakti, divine feminine power. Chhath’s mythology ties this directly to goddesses like Usha and Pratyusha, who represent the first and last light of the day. They symbolize the balance between creation and completion, beginnings and endings, a duality that every woman navigates daily. By centering women as the vessels of divine energy, Chhath Puja honors the feminine principle as an equal force to the masculine solar energy of Surya.

The austerity of Chhath Puja is not for the faint hearted. For four days, the vratin abstains from food and water, sleeps on the floor, and maintains strict purity; physical, mental, and emotional. The discipline is so intense that even younger family members, regardless of gender, treat her with reverence during the period.

This form of fasting, unlike patriarchal penance often imposed upon women, is self chosen and self directed. It is not about suffering; it’s about strength. It becomes a public demonstration of a woman’s willpower, self control, and resilience, qualities historically attributed to male ascetics. Through this, women reclaim spiritual authority in a space where their power is often confined to domesticity.

The act of standing waist-deep in rivers or ponds, sometimes cold, sometimes polluted, is more than symbolic. Water, in Chhath, is both purifier and liberator. In patriarchal societies where a woman’s touch was once seen as defiling sacred objects, here she immerses herself in nature’s purest element to achieve divine connection.

Water in this ritual represents fluidity and renewal, qualities associated with feminine power. The synchronization of the body’s energy with the rising and setting sun, while half-immersed in water, has profound spiritual and even physiological significance. It balances the solar and lunar energies within the body, mirroring how women balance nurturing softness with fierce endurance in everyday life.

Moreover, in the context of rural India, where water bodies are lifelines, women’s participation in Chhath strengthens their role as guardians of ecology. They clean the ghats, decorate them with earthen lamps, and ensure collective hygiene, acts that go beyond devotion to reflect eco-feminism in practice.

Another powerful aspect of Chhath Puja is its democratic nature. Unlike many other Hindu rituals, Chhath requires no priest, no elaborate temple, and no caste barriers. It is performed by the riverside, open to all. Whether rich or poor, upper caste or lower caste, everyone gathers at the same ghats, offering the same thekua and soop of fruits.

This shared ritual space erases social hierarchies for a moment in time. Historically, women from marginalized communities have used Chhath to assert spiritual equality. In many parts of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, Dalit women have become the most respected vratins in their neighborhoods, not because of wealth or lineage, but because of their piety and dedication.

In this way, Chhath Puja becomes not just a religious practice but a subtle act of social resistance. It redefines power and purity, not through birth or privilege, but through moral and spiritual integrity, values long upheld by women across generations.

Beyond the individual devotion, Chhath is a community festival that thrives on sisterhood. Women come together to sing sohar and kaharwa songs that celebrate life, fertility, and cosmic order. These songs, often passed orally through generations, form a living archive of women’s emotions, of longing, sacrifice, and hope.

During Chhath, even men step back to assist cooking, cleaning, fetching supplies in quiet acknowledgment of the woman’s central role. It becomes one of those rare social moments where the balance of gender roles temporarily shifts, and the divine feminine is honored not in words but in action.

This collective devotion also creates networks of emotional support. Women help each other prepare offerings, share food after paran (the ritual breaking of fast), and exchange blessings for family well-being. In a world where women often carry silent burdens, Chhath becomes a space of shared faith, strength, and healing.

In today’s world, Chhath continues to evolve. Urban celebrations now feature artificial ponds to protect water bodies, and younger women, professionals and students, participate with equal enthusiasm, blending tradition with modernity. Social media is filled with images of mothers and daughters performing the rituals together, symbolizing continuity and pride in identity.

The deeper essence of Chhath, self-discipline, respect for nature, and female empowerment feels more relevant than ever. In an age where feminism often seeks to reclaim spiritual equality, Chhath Puja offers an indigenous model, one where women have always been the high priests of their own faith.

As the sun dips into the horizon on the final day, women stand in perfect stillness, offering arghya to the setting sun. Their silhouettes against the amber sky tell a story of devotion that is not about submission, but sovereignty. Chhath Puja, in its quiet, elemental beauty, reminds us that the feminist spirit has always existed in India, not in slogans, but in rituals performed by women who understood power in its purest form: the power to sustain, to endure, and to illuminate.