Chhath Puja 2026

Chhath Puja is the worship of Surya, the Sun God, and of Chhathi Maiya (Shashthi Devi), observed on the Shashthi (sixth day) of the bright fortnight of Kartik, six days after Diwali. It is the great festival of Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh and of the Terai of Nepal, and it is now kept wherever families from these regions live, from Delhi and Mumbai to the USA, the UK and the Gulf.

It is known for its discipline. The vrati (the person keeping the vrat, most often a woman of the house) keeps a strict fast, including a nirjala fast of about 36 hours, and offers arghya to the sun while standing in a river, pond or other water. No priest is needed: the family and the community do the puja together, with folk songs to Chhathi Maiya sung at the ghat.

Nahay Khay (13 November). The vrati bathes, if possible in a river or holy water, the house is cleaned, and a single sattvik meal is cooked and eaten, traditionally lauki, chana dal and rice, without onion or garlic.

Kharna (14 November). The vrati fasts through the day. In the evening, after worship, the fast is opened with rasiya or kheer made with jaggery, and roti, which are also shared as prasad. After this the 36-hour nirjala fast begins.

Sandhya Arghya (15 November). The family carries the prasad to the ghat in bamboo baskets (daura) and winnowing trays (soop): thekua, rice laddoo, sugarcane, coconut, banana and seasonal fruit. At sunset the vrati stands in the water and offers arghya of water or milk to the setting sun.

Usha Arghya and Parana (16 November). Before dawn the family returns to the ghat. Arghya is offered to the rising sun, Chhathi Maiya is prayed to for the family's well-being, and the vrati opens the fast (parana) with prasad and water.

Practices vary between families and regions. This is the common method. Follow your family's tradition if it differs.

1. Keep the house and kitchen clean throughout. Prasad is cooked separately, often on a new or cleaned chulha, without onion or garlic.
2. Samagri: bamboo soop and daura, thekua, rice laddoo, sugarcane, coconut, banana, seasonal fruit (such as sweet lime, singhara, radish and turmeric plant), a diya, sindoor, a copper or brass lota for arghya, and new clothes for the vrati.
3. On the third evening, arrange the prasad in the soop, light the diya, and go to the ghat before sunset.
4. Stand in the water facing the sun and offer arghya with water or milk from the lota or over the soop. Family members help with the offering.
5. Return home, keep the diya lit, and go back to the ghat before sunrise.
6. Offer arghya to the rising sun, pray to Chhathi Maiya, distribute prasad and then open the fast.

Several traditions explain the origin of Chhath. These are the best known.

Karna and the Sun. Karna of the Mahabharata, the son of Surya, is said to have stood in water every day and offered arghya to his father, and the custom of offering arghya while standing in water is traced to him.

Draupadi and the Pandavas. In another telling, when the Pandavas lost their kingdom, Draupadi kept the Chhath vrat on the advice of sages, and the family's fortunes were restored.

Sita and Rama. It is also said that after returning to Ayodhya, Rama and Sita fasted and worshipped the Sun on Kartik Shukla Shashthi, and Bihar has several places linked with Sita's Chhath.

A 36-hour fast without water is very demanding. Vratis who are elderly, pregnant or unwell, or who have diabetes, blood pressure or another medical condition, should speak to their doctor first. Standing in cold water at dawn in November is also hard on the body, so keep warm clothes ready for after the arghya. Many families accept a lighter fast for those who cannot keep it in full.