Religion

The majority of Biharis are Hindu by religion. The other religions of Bihar are Islam, Christianity and Sikhism. The Hindu majority observes all the traditional festivals of Hindu religion- Durga Puja, Dusserah, Holi, Deepavali, Bhaiya Dooj, Saraswati Puja, etc. But the festival that is unique to Bihar is the Chhath festival.

Chhath festival of Hindu religion is observed mostly by the inhabitants of North Bihar. It is devoted to the Sun God. Therefore, it is called Surya Shashti. The festival starts on the sixth day of the month Kartik according to the Hindu lunar calendar. It corresponds to sometimes between late October to mid November. It extends to four days. The devotees maintain a complete fast. Offerings are made to the rising sun the next morning. At the completion of the offerings, the devotees break their fast.

Islam is a big-minority religion of Bihar. Christians, although a small minority, are innumerable in number. The towns of Bihar, particularly Patna and Ranchi are dotted with many beautiful Catholic and Protestant churches. Some of them are: Padri-Ki-Haveli, St. Joseph's Convent, St. Xavier's School along with its chapel, Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ranchi and Holy Family Hospital Church in Patna.

Sikhism is comparatively a small-minority religion, though it is the land of the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh. During the partition of India in 1947, many Sikhs migrated to Bihar from Punjab. This group of people quickly established themselves as very successful in business and industry. The Harmandir Takht or Patna Sahib commemorates Guru Gobind Singh and is a sacred place of Sikh pilgrimage.