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New Delhi: This year, Chhath Puja began on October 25, 2025, with great enthusiasm and fervour. It is a sacred celebration that is dedicated to honouring Surya Deva and Chhath Maiyya. Women observe a rigorous 36-hour fast and offer auspicious things on river banks. A traditional bamboo basket, known as a soop, is filled with prasad offerings and carried over the head and presented to Surya Deva for blessings. The significance of soop is profound, connecting spirituality with age-old customs and respect for the environment.
Soop comprises varied auspicious ingredients that are chosen carefully for their ritual importance. The basket has fresh fruits, sweets, flowers, and puja items, embodying devotion and gratitude. All the elements in the soop make it vibrant and represent life's abundance and the cyclical power of the sun.
1. Thekua
The iconic sweet of Chhath Puja, made of whole wheat flour, jaggery, ghee, and sometimes coconut. It's crunchy on the outside, soft inside, symbolising devotion through sweetness and effort.
2. Seasonal Fruits
Bananas, apples, oranges, and guavas usually fill the soop. These fresh offerings are symbols of nature’s bounty, honouring the sun’s life-giving energy.
3. Sugarcane
Thick sugarcane stalks are included, representing sweetness in life and prosperity. They also symbolise strength and vitality.
4. Coconut
With the husk intact, coconuts denote purity and completeness. They're important for offering during the arghya ceremony to the Sun God.
5. Rice
Clean, uncooked rice is sometimes placed in the soop, symbolising sustenance and growth.
6. Earthen Diyas and Turmeric
Diyas (small lamps) signify light and enlightenment, while turmeric is used for its purity and auspiciousness.
The soop is more than a basket—it’s a vessel carrying blessings, prayers, and hopes for health and prosperity. Crafted traditionally from bamboo, it respects nature and sustains ancient rituals connecting devotees with cosmic energy.
As Chhath Puja 2025 unfolds this October, the soop remains a focal point — a humble yet powerful symbol of faith, building a bridge between humanity, nature, and divinity. Preparing and offering the soop prasad with love enriches the spiritual experience, binding tradition and devotion in every offering.
