Chhath Puja 2026
Four days of offerings to the setting and rising sun.
Countdown to Chhath 2026
Dates
When is Chhath Puja?
Chhath Puja 2026 falls from Friday, 13 November 2026 to Monday, 16 November 2026. In 2027 it falls from Tuesday, 2 November 2027 to Friday, 5 November 2027.
Nahay Khay on 13 Nov, Kharna on 14 Nov, Sandhya Arghya on 15 Nov and Usha Arghya at sunrise on 16 Nov.
Date checked against smartpuja.com
| Year | Dates | Length | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 13 – 16 November 2026Fri – Mon | 4 days | Confirmed |
| 2027 | 2 – 5 November 2027Tue – Fri | 4 days | Confirmed |
See every festival by date in the 2026 festival calendar and 2027 festival calendar.
The story
What it is, and why it matters
- Type
- Nature & Season
- Tradition
- Hindu
- Where
- Patna, Bihar
- Crowd
- Celebrated across Bihar and by its diaspora
- UNESCO
- Not inscribed
On the banks of the Ganga at Patna, families stand waist-deep in the river holding baskets of fruit and lamps towards the setting sun. Before dawn the next day they return to the same spot to greet it rising.
Chhath is held six days after Diwali, on the sixth day of the bright fortnight of Kartika. It is dedicated to Surya, the sun, and to Chhathi Maiya, and is kept with unusual strictness: the main devotees, called vratis and most often women, keep a fast of about 36 hours without water.
The four days move from purification to offering. Ghats are cleaned and decorated by whole neighbourhoods, and on the third evening families carry bamboo baskets of thekua, fruit and sugarcane to the water. Many who have moved away from Bihar travel home for Chhath, making it one of the busiest times of the year on the railways to the state.
Culture
Traditions, food and music of Chhath
Traditions
What actually happens
- Nahay Khay — a ritual bath and a single simple meal on the first day.
- Kharna — a day-long fast ended in the evening with kheer made with jaggery and roti.
- Sandhya Arghya — offerings to the setting sun, made standing in a river or pond.
- Usha Arghya — offerings to the rising sun the next morning, which end the fast.
Food
The table, widened
- Thekua — a crisp, hand-pressed biscuit of wheat flour, jaggery and ghee, made at home for the offerings.
- Kaddu-bhaat (bottle gourd and rice) on the first day and rasiao-kheer on Kharna evening.
Music
Sound of the crowd
Chhath has its own body of folk songs in Bhojpuri, Maithili and Magahi, sung by women as they walk to the ghats and wait for the sun. Recordings by the late folk singer Sharda Sinha are closely associated with the festival.
Religion
Why this date
Chhath is a direct offering to the visible sun, the source of life and energy, and is usually performed without a priest or temple image. Devotees ask for the health and prosperity of their families, and the rule of purity — of food, body and home — runs through every step.
History
How it survived
The festival is rooted in the Bhojpur, Magadh and Mithila regions of Bihar and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and the Terai of Nepal. Migration has carried it to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and abroad, where city authorities now prepare riverbanks and artificial ponds for the offerings.
History
How it got here
The festival is rooted in the Bhojpur, Magadh and Mithila regions of Bihar and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and the Terai of Nepal. Migration has carried it to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and abroad, where city authorities now prepare riverbanks and artificial ponds for the offerings.
Traditional
Sun worship
Offerings to Surya at rivers are a long-standing practice in the middle Ganga plains.
20th century
Migration
Workers from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh take the festival to India's big cities.
Today
City ghats
Municipalities from Delhi to Mumbai set up ghats and artificial ponds for devotees.
Travel & practical
Visiting Patna for Chhath
Getting there
Patna's Jay Prakash Narayan Airport (PAT) has domestic flights; trains to Bihar are booked out weeks in advance around Chhath.
Best vantage
Patna's ghats along the Ganga are the focus. Arrive well before sunset on the third day and before dawn on the fourth.
Practical notes
This is a devotional occasion. Dress modestly, keep clear of the vratis' path to the water and ask before photographing anyone.
Plan the trip with free AltFTool tools
FAQ
Chhath Puja: common questions
Straight answers to what people ask most about Chhath Puja.
When is Chhath Puja in 2026 and 2027?
Chhath Puja 2026 runs from Nahay Khay on Friday 13 November to Usha Arghya on Monday 16 November, with the main evening offering on Sunday 15 November. In 2027 it runs from 2 to 5 November, with Sandhya Arghya on Thursday 4 November.
Why are offerings made at sunset and sunrise?
The setting sun is thanked for the day and the rising sun is welcomed for the new one; the fast falls between them.
Who can take part?
Anyone may attend the ghats. The fast itself is kept by vratis, but whole families help prepare and carry the offerings.
Is Chhath only celebrated in Bihar?
No. It is also kept in Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Nepal's Terai and wherever people from these regions have settled.
Also in November 2026
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