When is Chhath Puja 2026?

Chhath Puja 2026 is a four-day festival: Nahay Khay on Friday 13 November, Kharna on Saturday 14 November, Sandhya Arghya — the main day — on Sunday 15 November, and Usha Arghya on Monday 16 November.

What are the Sandhya and Usha Arghya timings for 2026?

There is no separate muhurat: Sandhya Arghya is offered at sunset and Usha Arghya at sunrise, so the time differs by city. On 15 November 2026 sunset falls at about 5:01 pm in Patna, 5:10 pm in Varanasi, 5:04 pm in Ranchi, 4:53 pm in Kolkata, 5:16 pm in Lucknow, 5:28 pm in Delhi and 6:00 pm in Mumbai. Sunrise on 16 November is about 6:07 am in Patna, 6:16 am in Varanasi, 5:50 am in Kolkata and 6:44 am in Delhi. These are approximate — confirm with a local panchang.

Who is worshipped during Chhath?

Chhath is dedicated to Surya, the sun god, and to Chhathi Maiya (the goddess Shashthi). It is one of the very few festivals anywhere in which the setting sun is worshipped as well as the rising one.

How long is the Chhath fast?

After Kharna, the vratis keep a nirjala fast — without food or even water — for about 36 hours. It ends with paran after Usha Arghya is offered to the rising sun on the fourth morning.

Can men keep the Chhath vrat?

Yes. Men keep the vrat too, though most vratis are women. Chhath also needs no priest — the vrati performs the worship directly, and no caste distinction is observed at the ghat.

Thekua is the signature prasad of Chhath, made from wheat flour, jaggery and ghee. The dough is pressed into a wooden mould and deep-fried slowly in ghee. It is prepared in a separately kept space with separate vessels, and traditionally over a clay stove or a mango-wood fire.

What is Chaiti Chhath?

Chhath is observed twice a year. The Kartik Chhath, in October or November, is the famous one; the Chaitra version, in March or April, is called Chaiti Chhath. The rituals are identical — only far fewer people keep it.

Chhath Puja 2026: Dates, Arghya Timings & Vidhi

Chhath Puja is among the most demanding and most disciplined vrats in India — a four-day festival dedicated to Surya, the sun, and to Chhathi Maiya. In 2026 the main day, Sandhya Arghya, falls on Sunday, 15 November.

Chhath Puja 2026 — the four days

Nahay Khay: Friday, 13 November
Kharna: Saturday, 14 November
Sandhya Arghya (main day): Sunday, 15 November
Usha Arghya and paran: Monday, 16 November
In panchang terms the festival runs from Kartik Shukla Chaturthi to Saptami; Shashthi, the sixth tithi, gives the festival its other name — Surya Shashthi.

The four days

1. Nahay Khay (13 November)

The vrati bathes — traditionally in the Ganga or a river — and eats one simple, sattvik meal, usually bottle gourd, rice and chana dal, cooked without onion or garlic. The discipline of purity begins here.

2. Kharna (14 November)

A day-long fast. After sunset the vrati prepares kheer made with jaggery, and roti, offers it to the sun, and then eats it. The 36-hour nirjala fast begins immediately after this meal.

3. Sandhya Arghya (15 November) — the main day

Standing in the water of a river or pond, the vrati offers arghya to the setting sun. The bamboo soop is arranged with thekua, sugarcane, coconut, banana and radish. The ghats fill with lamps and Chhath songs.

4. Usha Arghya (16 November)

The next morning, arghya is offered to the rising sun, and the fast is broken with paran. The 36 hours end here.

The idea at the heart of Chhath

The world salutes the rising sun. Chhath offers arghya to the setting sun as well — and offers it first. That is the philosophy of the festival: what is declining deserves the same respect. Gratitude is not owed only on the way up.

Arghya timings for major cities

There is no separate muhurat for arghya. Sandhya Arghya is offered at sunset and Usha Arghya at sunrise, so the time depends entirely on where you are.

City	Sandhya Arghya — sunset, 15 Nov	Usha Arghya — sunrise, 16 Nov
Patna	about 5:01 pm	about 6:07 am
Muzaffarpur	about 4:59 pm	about 6:07 am
Gaya	about 5:03 pm	about 6:07 am
Bhagalpur	about 4:54 pm	about 5:59 am
Varanasi	about 5:10 pm	about 6:16 am
Lucknow	about 5:16 pm	about 6:26 am
Ranchi	about 5:04 pm	about 6:03 am
Kolkata	about 4:53 pm	about 5:50 am
Delhi	about 5:28 pm	about 6:44 am
Mumbai	about 6:00 pm	about 6:46 am

About these times

These are approximate, calculated from the sun's position, and may differ by a minute or two. Vratis stand in the water for some time before sunset, so leave early. Confirm the exact time for your city with a local panchang.

Samagri checklist

Chhath asks for seasonal produce and purity rather than expense.

For the puja: a bamboo soop and daala (basket) · clay lamps · kalash · sindoor · incense · milk and water for the arghya · new clothes

Prasad and fruit: thekua · sugarcane with leaves · coconut · banana · daabh lemon · apple · radish · sweet potato · turmeric and ginger plants · water chestnut · rice laddus (kasar)

Thekua — the prasad of Chhath

Three ingredients: wheat flour, jaggery and ghee. The flour is kneaded with jaggery water, pressed into a wooden mould, and deep-fried slowly in ghee.
The rules matter as much as the recipe: a separate space and separate vessels, nothing tasted while cooking, and traditionally a clay stove or a mango-wood fire.

Why Chhath is different

The setting sun is honoured first. Almost no other festival does this.
No priest. The vrati performs the entire worship directly.
No hierarchy at the ghat. Everyone stands in the same water.
Nothing elaborate is required — bamboo, clay, fruit and river water.

ॐ सूर्याय नमः

Surya Mantra

Om Suryaya Namah — salutations to the Sun.

Health — read this before you fast

A 36-hour nirjala fast is serious

It means no food and no water for a day and a half. Pregnant women, the elderly, and anyone with diabetes, blood pressure problems or an ongoing illness must speak to a doctor first. Someone should stay with the vrati throughout — light-headedness after 36 hours without water is common.

Safety at the ghat

The real risks at Chhath are crowds and water. Accidents happen every year, and nearly all of them are preventable.

Never leave children unattended. Assign one adult whose only job is watching them.
Stay out of deep water. Arghya offered from knee- or waist-deep water is just as complete.
Respect the barricades — they usually mark where the mud or the drop begins.
Carry a torch for Usha Arghya. The steps are wet and slippery in the dark.
Avoid boats on the festival days, when they are overloaded.

The river belongs to Chhathi Maiya too

Chhath is a worship of water — and that same water is dirtiest the day after the festival.
Choose bamboo soop and daala, never thermocol or plastic. Leave prasad and flowers at the designated spot on the ghat rather than in the water. Carry your own polythene home, and never leave empty oil or sindoor packets in the river.

Where Chhath is celebrated

The heartland is Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and the Terai region of Nepal. But the festival now reaches far beyond it: families in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Surat gather at the Yamuna, Juhu beach and the Hooghly, and where there is no river, at artificial ponds and rooftop tanks. Chhath is also kept by Indian communities in Mauritius, Trinidad, Fiji, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Chaiti Chhath — the other one

Chhath comes twice a year. The Kartik Chhath, in October or November, is the famous one. The Chaitra version — Chaiti Chhath, in March or April — follows the same rituals with far fewer vratis.