(Image source from: TheAmericanBazaar)

Scores of Indian-Americans, mainly those tracing their roots of Jharkhand, Bihar, and eastern Uttar Pradesh across the United States on Wednesday celebrated Chhath Puja braving sub-zero temperature.

In the Maryland suburb of Capital Washington D.C., Chhath Puja was held on the banks of the historic Potomac River, which was attended by nearly 400 people while a large number of them gathered on a lakeside at Monroe Township's Thompson Park in New Jersey.

It was a beautiful scene at both the places, as onlookers compared the ceremony site to their memories of India's Chhath Puja.

Chhath entails worship of the Sun God and is observed chiefly by people from Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

"This year it was the largest ever gathering for Chhath Puja," said prominent Indian-American Kripa Singh from Virginia, who along with his wife Anita started celebrating Chhath Puja in a traditional way about a decade ago on the banks of the Potomac River.

India's Deputy Ambassador to the U.S., Santosh Jha, who hails from Bihar also attended the Chhath Puja on Wednesday. Over the years, it has evolved as a community event.

Likewise, hundreds of families having Bihari-Jharkhand root gathered to support the ladies performing the ceremony in New Jersey. People from as far as Vancouver and Michigan attended the Chhath Puja in New Jersey, according to a press release issued by the Bihar and Jharkhand Association of North America.

"It reminds me of attending Chhath in Patna," said Deputy Consul General New York, Shatrughan Sinha.

By Sowmya