Indians: at work and at prayer

The endless of hours of work occupies our all the moments of our lives,except few moments. We are thankful for all the blessings God us given us. On prayer days we take a break to worship. On the occasion of the “Chhath puja” or the sixth day after Diwali, the Sun and the river are worshipped for giving us life, and for well being of our families. In remote places folk traditions evolved and as people moved and spread to other places, they carried their prayers or their culture with them. This was one of the oldest prayers to the Sun. Although this prayer was not part of Delhi's culture, now it is here. Yesterday, the celebration commenced as prayers were made and sweet rice was shared. Today worshippers brought to the river banks small winnows holding fruits, flowers and sugarcane which were offered to the Sun and to the river. Standing half submerged in the river worshippers prayed, communicating with our creator and the Sun God, thanking for the bounties of the Earth and the water of the rivers. By re-enacting these prayers every year, we thank God for what he has given us. Today they prayed standing in the river facing the setting Sun. Tomorrow morning they will pray standing in the river just before sunrise and offer morning prayers as the Sun rises in the sky; they will be again offering the Sun God, flowers, fruits and sugarcane. We are grateful to the sun god for blessing us with these plants and the environment(Sun) to grow them in. We Indians are genuine worshippers of nature; we realise that it is from the Sun and the waters in the rivers we get food. We humans can survive because of the Sun. In our prayers, and their meanings, we are all united. Let us keep our rivers pure and our environment clean; and be thankful for the energy of the Sun which will always be shining upon us and blessing us.