Four-day Chhath Puja will take place from Friday, 13 November to Monday, 16 November 2026. The chief ritual day of Chhath 2026, that is, Sandhya Arghya (evening ritual worship of setting Sun), will be observed on Sunday, 15 November 2026 on Kartik Shukla Shashthi.

Chhath Puja 2026 Arghya Timings

Arghya is offered at the exact time of sunset and sunrise in your city. The approximate times are:

It may be noted that timings mentioned above are approximations and vary depending upon your city’s sunrise and sunset timings. It is recommended that you verify the timings from your local Panchang or ghat committee, temples or family elders. There are some sources which list the timings one day behind (14th to 17th November), but most Panchangs like Drik Panchang list 13 to 16 November 2026.

Chhath Puja is a ritualistic Hindu Vedic festival where the worshiping is done in honor of Sun god, the source of all energy, life, and light together with his wife Usha and sister Chhathi Maiya (Shashti Devi). She is considered a protector of children and families. Chhath falls six days after Diwali on the sixth day (Shashthi) of bright fortnight in the month of Kartik. The name "Chhath" derives from "Chhathi," the sixth.

The uniqueness of the Chhath is as follows:

• The Sun God is worshipped without any idol and even without the intervention of any priest.

• This fast is one of the most severe ones; it includes a 36-hour fast without drinking any water.

• Devotees pray standing in water and offering arghya to Sun god at the time of sunset and sunrise.

• The prasad is also pure, simple, and hand made without onion, garlic and any other short cut.

• Everybody is welcome at this community oriented festival.

Chhath is also unique in the way that the setting Sun god is worshipped first in order to be thankful to him before everything else.

• Thanking the Sun. Surya keeps the whole world. Chhath is one way of paying gratitude to him for his light, heat, crops, and good health.

• Good health. People offer prayers for good health and long life of their family members.

• Prayers for children. It is believed that Chhathi Maiya showers blessings on the devotees of having children.

• Discipline and cleansing. Fasting and other practices cleanse our body and soul and the surroundings too.

• Unity with nature. Worshipping at rivers and ponds along with seasonal crops shows devotion towards nature.

• Equality and unity. People from all walks of life stand together at the ghat.

• Feeling of submission. Vrat helps us learn the art of being humble and patient.

Chhath has many beautiful stories across scriptures and traditions.

The story of King Priyavrat and Queen Malini

King Priyavrat and Queen Malini had no children, and the king was deeply sad. Sage Kashyap performed a yagya and gave the queen a sacred kheer. She soon gave birth, but the child was born lifeless. The grieving king took the child to the cremation ground.

There, Goddess Shashthi (Devasena), the divine mother who protects children, appeared. She told the king that she was born in the sixth part of Prakriti and asked him to worship her. By her blessing, the child came alive. The king then began worshipping Shashthi Devi, and the tradition spread across his kingdom.

Sita and Lord Rama

It is believed that when Lord Rama and Sita returned to Ayodhya after exile, they observed a fast and offered prayers to the Sun God on Kartik Shukla Shashthi to begin their rule with blessings.

Karna, the devotee of the Sun

Karna, the son of Surya Dev in the Mahabharata, worshipped the Sun by standing in water for long hours every day. Many people link the tradition of Chhath to his devotion.

Draupadi and the Pandavas

It is also believed that Draupadi observed the Chhath vrat during the Pandavas' difficult times, and that they regained their strength and kingdom.

The message of these stories: Faith, patience and gratitude can bring light into the darkest times.

Day 1: Nahay Khay (Friday, 13 November 2026)

"Nahay Khay" translates to "take bath and eat." People go for a holy dip into a river, lake or pond or bath with Gangajal. They also clean their houses from top to bottom.

One pure meal consisting of only one type of dish is taken by vratis, usually kaddu-bhaat (made with bottle gourd and rice) along with chana dal and is cooked either in a clay stove or any other clean stove using rock salt and without adding onion or garlic. Once the vratis have had their food, the entire family members consume food.

Day 2: Kharna/Lohanda (Saturday, 14 November 2026)

During Kharna, people observe complete fasting without food and water all day till sunset. In the evening, after praying to Sun and Chhathi Maiya, they break their fasting by having a meal including gur ki kheer, roti, and banana as prasad. The prasad is distributed among family members and neighbours.

After that meal, a nirjala fasting begins which lasts for about 36 hours.

Day 3: Sandhya Arghya (Sunday, 15 November 2026)

The third day is the most important of Chhath Puja. The preparation of prasad takes place at home. This includes thekua, fruits, and other offerings. In the evening, the whole family moves towards the riverbank with the soop (winnowing tray made from bamboo) or daura (basket made from bamboo), which contains the prasad.

As the sun sets, the vratis take a dip in the water and light the diyas and make arghya (offering of water and milk) to the setting sun.

Day 4: Usha Arghya and Parana (Monday, 16 November 2026)

Before sunrise, devotees return to the ghat with the prasad and stand in water. As the Sun rises, they offer the Usha Arghya (morning offering) and pray for the family's health, happiness and prosperity.

After the arghya and prayers, the vratis break the fast (parana) with prasad and a little water, followed by a meal. They then distribute the prasad to everyone, and the festival ends on a note of joy.

1. Clean and purify. The house, the kitchen and the items used for puja should be cleaned before the festival.

2. Make the sankalp. On Nahay Khay, make a pledge to fast for four days with pure intentions.

3. Cook with purity. Prasad should be prepared with new ingredients on a clean earthen chulha or in a separate clean stove without onion, garlic or anything else that is not pure.

4. Arrange soop and daura. Arrangement of fruits, thekua, coconut, sugarcane, diyas and other offering materials in the bamboo baskets and trays.

5. Visit the ghat. On the third day and fourth day, visit the place of the water body with the family, singing Chhath songs.

6. Diyas and soop. The light of the diyas should be lit either in water or at the ghat and place the soop in front of yourself.

7. Offering arghya. Stand in the water facing the sun with soop or a lota of water mixed with milk to offer arghya.

8. Pray and chant. Offer prayers to Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya, and chant Surya mantras with a calm mind.

9. Break the fast. After Usha Arghya, take the prasad and a little water, then eat a meal.

10. Share the prasad. Share the prasad with your family, friends and neighbors. Sharing is a very essential part of the festival.

• ॐ सूर्याय नमः (Om Suryaya Namah)

• ॐ घृणिः सूर्य आदित्यः (Om Ghrini Surya Adityah)

• ॐ भास्कराय नमः (Om Bhaskaraya Namah)

• आदित्य हृदय स्तोत्र (Aditya Hridaya Stotra), a powerful hymn to the Sun

Chant with devotion. The feeling matters more than the number of repetitions.

• Bamboo soop (winnowing tray) and daura (basket)

• Earthen diyas, ghee, cotton wicks and incense sticks

• Thekua, the traditional Chhath sweet made of wheat flour, jaggery and ghee

• Fruits: banana, apple, pomegranate, orange, sweet lime, pineapple and more

• Sugarcane (sticks, whole or in bunches)

• Coconut, water chestnut (singhara) and sweet potato

• Rice laddoo, kasar (a sweet made of rice flour)

• Ginger, turmeric plant, radish and other seasonal produce

• Roli, akshat (rice), sandalwood paste and flowers

• Milk, a clean lota, and a clean cloth

• New clothes for the vratis (often yellow, red or orange)

Do

• Keep the house, kitchen and body clean and pure

• Cook with fresh, unbroken ingredients and clean utensils

• Use rock salt and keep the food completely satvik

• Wear clean, fresh clothes at the ghat

• Offer arghya exactly at sunset and sunrise

• Stay calm, humble and respectful throughout

• Share the prasad with everyone

Don't

• Don't use onion, garlic, meat, alcohol or any impure food

• Don't taste the prasad before the offering

• Don't use broken or damaged fruits and ingredients

• Don't argue, lie or speak harshly during the vrat

• Don't touch the prasad items without bathing and cleaning

Fasting during the festival of Chhath, like fasting without water for around 36 hours, is difficult. Elderly people, pregnant women, people who are ill, and those with some health issues need to get a doctor’s advice and can follow the practice of fasting in modified form or pray in any other way.

Chhath prasad is very simple, seasonal, and very much loved:

• Thekua: Crisp, sweet food made from wheat and jaggery - the essence of Chhath prasad.

• Rasiao-kheer (gur ki kheer): Rice cooked in milk with jaggery - food eaten during Kharna.

• Kasar and rice laddoo: These are sweet prasad made from rice flour.

• Fruits and sugarcane: Seasonal prasad expressing gratitude towards nature.

Every home takes great pride in making them with utmost care, and eating Chhath prasad is considered a gift.

• Bihar: Center of Chhath, with ghats similar to the ghats of Ganga in Patna which are illuminated with thousands of diyas.

• Jharkhand and eastern UP: Large-scale celebration by the rivers, ponds and lakes.

• Delhi NCR and Mumbai: Purvanchali population celebrates at the ghats of Yamuna, beaches and man-made ponds.

• Nepal (Terai): Chhath festival is celebrated devoutly at the ghats of rivers and ponds.

• West Bengal and others: Celebrated by the devotees at the ghats near their places.

• Throughout the world: Indian families in America, Britain, Canada, Mauritius and the Gulf countries celebrate at the ghats of rivers and lakes or man-made ponds.

Today, many families reside in cities, flats or even overseas. You can celebrate Chhath with full significance:

• An artificial pond may be used. Temporary ponds are constructed by many societies and temples at ghats-like places.

• Have a setup in your house. Take a tub or any other vessel of water and perform arghya facing the Sun.

• Adapt to the local timings. The arghya timings should be decided according to the sun setting and rising of your city.

• Be a part of the community. Participate in local temples or cultural organizations for performing the arghya.

• Stay away from impurity. The purity from within is much more important than the location itself.

• Replace synthetic diyas and baskets with those made from clay and natural sources.

• Never throw waste or plastic or flowers into the water.

• Maintain cleanliness in the ghat and participate in cleaning drives.

• Follow the safety instructions in crowded ghats and never go into deep water.

• Always carry a clean cloth and a set of dry clothes.

When will there be Chhath Puja in 2026?

What are the names of the four days of Chhath Puja?

When does Sandhya Arghya take place in 2026?

What is the Usha Arghya timing in 2026?

Whom are the idols worshipped in Chhath Puja?