Chhath Puja 2026छठ पूजा
Chhath Puja 2026 has its Sandhya Arghya on Sunday, November 15, 2026. Nahay Khay, Kharna, the evening and morning arghya, the thirty six hour nirjala vrat and the kathas of Karna and Draupadi.
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The story of Chhath Puja
Chhath is offered to Surya and to Chhathi Maiya, and it is one of the very few festivals in which the setting sun is worshipped before the rising one. The kathas are old: Draupadi and the Pandavas kept it to regain their kingdom; Karna, son of Surya, stood waist deep in water and offered arghya to his father every day; and Sita is said to have kept it at Munger after the return from Lanka.
It is the most demanding vrat kept in Indian homes: four days of purity, and a nirjala fast of roughly thirty six hours without even water, standing in a river or pond at dusk and again at dawn. The vratis are usually women, though men keep it too, and the whole neighbourhood carries the daura of thekua, fruit and sugarcane to the ghat. There is no priest and no temple in it: only water, the sun, and a family that has cleaned the ghat with its own hands.
How Chhath Puja is celebrated
| Nahay Khay | the first day: a bath in the river, the house scrubbed, and one sattvik meal of kaddu bhat and chana dal. |
| Kharna | the second day: a day long fast broken at dusk with kheer of gud and roti, after which the nirjala fast begins. |
| Sandhya Arghya | the main evening: the family stands in water and offers arghya with the daura of thekua, fruit and sugarcane to the setting sun. |
| Usha Arghya | the following dawn: arghya to the rising sun, then the parana, and the fast of thirty six hours is complete. |
Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh keep it most fully, with the ghats of Patna along the Ganga lit for miles; Nepal keeps it in the Terai; and the diaspora now builds ghats in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and abroad, wherever there is a pond, a pool or a stretch of clean water to stand in.
Chhath Puja checklist: what to arrange in advance
The non-perishable samagri you can order ahead of the day. Each link opens an Amazon search for that item in your own country’s store.
Fresh items, flowers, fruit, sweets and leaves, are best bought from your local market on the day.
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Frequently asked questions
When is Chhath Puja in 2026?
The Sandhya Arghya, the main evening of Chhath, is on Sunday, November 15, 2026. The four days run from Nahay Khay through Kharna to this evening, and end with the Usha Arghya at the following dawn.
What time is the arghya?
The evening arghya is offered at sunset and the morning arghya at sunrise, so both depend entirely on your city. Check the daily Panchang for your local sunrise and sunset.
How long is the Chhath fast?
The nirjala fast runs roughly thirty six hours, from the Kharna meal at dusk until the parana after the Usha Arghya, without food or water in between.
Why is the setting sun worshipped first?
Chhath honours the whole cycle, not only the ascent: the arghya to the setting sun is a thanksgiving for what the day has given, before the prayer to the rising sun for what is to come. Few festivals anywhere give the decline its due so plainly.
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Dates are verified against authoritative Panchang sources (Drik Panchang, New Delhi). Traditions vary by family and region; for muhurat and puja vidhi please also consult your family panditji.