Very few festivals ask as much of a devotee as Chhath Puja. Over four days the vrati gives up food, then water, then comfort, and spends hours standing in rivers and ponds to pray to Surya, the Sun God, and to Chhathi Maiya. Yet every year the crowds grow, from small villages in Bihar to large towns and cities across India and abroad.In 2026 the festival runs from Friday 13 November to Monday 16 November. It is observed from Kartik Shukla Chaturthi to Saptami, and Shashthi, the sixth lunar day, gives the festival its name.
Chhath Puja 2026 Dates at a Glance
·Day 1, Friday 13 November: Nahay Khay·Day 2, Saturday 14 November: Kharna·Day 3, Sunday 15 November: Sandhya Arghya (offering to the setting Sun)·Day 4, Monday 16 November: Usha Arghya and Parana (offering to the rising Sun, then breaking the fast)
Arghya Time in Major Cities
The offerings follow each city’s local sunset and sunrise, so the times vary.Sunday evening sunset: Kolkata 4:53 PM, Patna 5:01 PM, Delhi 5:28 PM, Mumbai 6:00 PM.Monday morning sunrise: Kolkata 5:50 AM, Patna 6:07 AM, Delhi 6:44 AM, Mumbai 6:46 AM.Day 1: Nahay KhayThe festival opens with purification. The vrati bathes, ideally in a river or other natural water source, and cleans the home thoroughly. Lunch is a simple satvik meal, usually rice, chana dal and bottle gourd cooked in ghee, with rock salt instead of regular salt. Many households cook only on a fresh earthen or clean clay stove for the rest of the festival.Day 2: KharnaKharna is a day of restraint. The vrati eats nothing from sunrise. In the evening, after worship, the vrati breaks the day’s fast with gur kheer, made with jaggery and rice, and soft chapatis or puris. Family members then take the same food as prasad. Once that meal is over, the main nirjala fast begins. It lasts about 36 hours, with no food and not a single sip of water.Day 3: Sandhya ArghyaThis is the grandest day. The house is busy from early morning, preparing thekua, a hard sweet made from wheat flour and jaggery, along with fruit, sugarcane stalks, coconut and rice laddoos. Everything is arranged in bamboo baskets and soops. By afternoon, families walk together to the ghat, often singing traditional Chhath songs.As the Sun goes down, the vrati stands waist-deep in water and offers arghya with milk or water poured over the soop. Many families stay late at the ghat. Some keep lamps lit through the night in a ritual called Kosi, especially those fulfilling a vow.Day 4: Usha Arghya and ParanaBefore dawn, everyone goes back to the water. The vrati faces east and waits for the first light. After the morning arghya, prasad is shared among family, neighbours and even strangers at the ghat. Then the vrati breaks the fast, usually with a little ginger, water and prasad.
Why Chhath Puja Matters
Most Hindu rituals greet the rising Sun. Chhath is unusual because it gives equal respect to the setting Sun. That evening offering is about gratitude for what the day has already given, whether harvest, health or the strength to keep going. The morning offering asks for fresh energy and protection for the year ahead.Chhathi Maiya is believed to be Surya’s sister. Devotees pray to her for the health and long life of their children, and many childless couples keep the vrat hoping for a child.The festival has roots in the epics. One tradition says Sita kept this fast after returning to Ayodhya with Rama. Another links it to Karna, Surya’s son, who is said to have prayed for hours each day standing in water. Draupadi and the Pandavas are also believed to have kept the vrat during their hard years in exile.
The Astrological Angle in 2026
On both arghya days, the Sun sits in Libra, its sign of debilitation, before entering Scorpio on Monday 16 November. In Vedic astrology, a weak Sun can mean low confidence, strained ties with a father or authority figures, and lower vitality. So Surya worship at this time carries extra weight. Anyone with a weak Sun in the birth chart, or going through a difficult Sun dasha, may find this Chhath a fitting time to offer water to the Sun with sincerity, even from home.There are no shortcuts in this festival. No priest is required, and no costly ritual items. What it asks for is purity, discipline and devotion to the Sun.