NEW DELHI (AP) — Tens of thousands of Hindu worshipers flocked to rivers and bodies of water across India to pray to the sun god as part of the Chhath festival this week.

In Noida, on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi, families gathered on the banks of the Yamuna River, covered in white toxic foam due to polluting discharges from neighboring industries.

Women dressed in brightly colored saris waded through knee-deep water speckled with drops of white foam. Some carried a coconut or other fruit as an offering to thank Lord Surya, the sun god, for sustaining life on earth while seeking divine blessings.

The Yamuna is considered one of India’s holiest rivers and Hindu worshipers have continued to use it despite warnings about toxic foam. A Delhi court on Wednesday banned worshipers from performing rituals on the banks of the heavily polluted river over health and safety concerns, local media reported, but thousands of people gathered on the banks on Thursday and Friday from the river to immerse themselves in the river and drink water. .

From the financial capital Mumbai to Hyderabad in the south and Guwahati in the east, thousands of men, women and children did the same.

The Chhath festival, celebrated after the Hindu festival of Diwali, originates in the eastern states of the country, with large celebrations in Bihar and Jharkand, and extends to Nepal. Over the years, it has become more popular across India, often introduced when migrants from eastern states celebrate the festival away from home.

The rituals, which extend over four days, include a holy bath in the river and a period of fasting and abstaining from drinking water. During the last two days, worshipers stand in the waters to pray to the rising and setting sun, and some families camp overnight along the banks.