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As the 36-hour waterless fasting for Chhatt began on Saturday with the ‘Nahay Khay’ ritual, with women offering fruits and flowers to Surya aka Sun God. Another celebration, Yule awaits but far across the world, in frost-covered European towns, when villagers will gather around fires, hang evergreen wreaths, and sing songs that mark the return of the Sun during the darkest nights of the year. Two celebrations, separated by continents and centuries, yet their rhythm feels alike, as if one is a doppelganger of the other. Both Chhatt Puja and Yule, honour the sun, mark the changing seasons, and bind communities through ritual.
