Chhath Puja begins on 13 November 2026 and concludes on 16 November. Across four days, families prepare prasad, observe a vrat and gather at the water’s edge to offer arghya to the setting and rising sun. Here’s what happens each day and how the tradition is observed at home and at the ghat.
Chhath Puja 2026 dates and arghya timings
Friday, 13 November — Nahay Khay.
Saturday, 14 November — Kharna, also called Lohanda.
Sunday, 15 November — Sandhya Arghya at sunset.
Monday, 16 November — Usha Arghya at sunrise, followed by Parana.
Bihar’s gazetted Chhath holidays fall on 15 and 16 November. In Patna, the local panchang lists sunset at about 5:01 p.m. IST on 15 November and sunrise at about 6:07 a.m. IST on 16 November. Use your own city’s sunrise and sunset times and check local ghat access arrangements.
What is Chhath Puja?
Chhath is a Hindu festival dedicated to Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya. Families offer thanks for the life sustained by the sun and pray for the well-being of their loved ones. The main observance falls on Kartik Shukla Shashthi, the sixth lunar day of the waxing fortnight in Kartik, after Diwali. The four-day sequence runs from Chaturthi to Saptami. Surya Shashthi and Dala Chhath are other names associated with the festival. A spring observance, Chaiti Chhath, falls in the month of Chaitra.
Day 1 — Nahay Khay
The first day begins with bathing and preparing the home and kitchen for the observance. A person keeping the vrat is often called a vrati. A common meal includes rice, chana dal and bottle gourd, known as lauki or kaddu in different households. Some families prepare the meal separately and follow their own rules for ingredients and utensils. Others help with cleaning, shopping and making space for the preparations.
Day 2 — Kharna or Lohanda
The vrati traditionally fasts through the day. After sunset, the household prepares and offers a simple meal. Jaggery-sweetened rice kheer and roti are common, with variations by family. The vrati takes the prasad, which is also shared. In many traditions, the longer fast begins after this meal and continues until the final morning offering.
Day 3 — Sandhya Arghya
Families arrange fruit, sugarcane and homemade prasad in bamboo baskets and trays, then gather at a riverbank, pond or designated ghat. Arghya is a ritual offering of liquid, commonly water, with details varying by household. The vrati faces the setting sun as relatives help hold the tray and make the offering. Some families also observe Kosi, arranging lamps and offerings beneath a canopy of sugarcane. It is a family custom in some communities.
Day 4 — Usha Arghya and Parana
Families return before dawn for the offering to the rising sun, also called Bhor ka Arghya. After the offering, the vrati concludes the fast in a ritual called Parana, and the family shares prasad. Many households observe a period traditionally described as about 36 hours without food or water after Kharna. Anyone who cannot fast can still join the prayers, help prepare offerings or accompany relatives. For individual advice about fasting, speak with a qualified clinician.
Thekua, kasar and other offerings
Thekua is a fried sweet commonly made from whole-wheat flour and jaggery or sugar. Families often press patterns into the dough before frying. Kasar, a sweet commonly made with rice flour and jaggery, and seasonal fruits such as bananas and coconuts may also be offered. Kharna kheer belongs to the second evening in many households. The baskets for the sun offerings often include sugarcane, fruits and thekua. Quantities and recipes vary, and some families have specific rules for how offerings are prepared and handled.
What goes in a Chhath basket?
A soop is a shallow bamboo tray traditionally used to hold offerings, while a daura is a larger basket used to carry them. A household may gather a soop or daura, a vessel for arghya, a diya, fruit, sugarcane and the prasad it traditionally prepares. Ask the person leading your household observance what they use before shopping. If you are helping at the ghat, keep the path clear and set the basket where people can reach it without crowding the steps.
Origins, stories and folk songs
There is no single established account of how the festival began. Stories associated with Chhath often invoke Karna’s devotion to Surya or tell of Draupadi and the Pandavas observing sun worship. These stories are part of the tradition families pass down. Chhath geet, often sung in Bhojpuri, Maithili or Magahi, accompany preparations and trips to the ghat. Their lyrics may call on Chhathi Maiya or describe the offerings, the riverbank and the work of bringing a family together.
Where and how people celebrate
Chhath is especially prominent in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Nepal’s Terai. Families have carried it to cities across India and abroad. A municipal tank or community-arranged water body can serve as a gathering place where access to a river is limited. Women often lead the observance, and men can also keep the vrat. Other relatives and neighbours prepare food, carry baskets, clean shared spaces and help older people reach the gathering.
Visiting a ghat for the first time
Check local entry points, transport and any official restrictions before leaving. Follow barricades and instructions from volunteers, keep children close and use designated areas. Give families room during arghya and ask before taking close-up photos. Carry your waste back or use bins provided at the site. Leave the ghat steps clear for people arriving and departing.
The meaning of offering to both the setting and rising sun
The evening and morning offerings give the festival its distinctive rhythm. One way to reflect on them is to give thanks at the close of the day and begin the next with the same humility. At the ghat, devotion also takes practical forms. Someone makes room for an older visitor, someone carries a basket for a neighbour, and someone stays to clean up after the crowd leaves. Those acts of service are open to everyone.
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