2 October 2026 · Blog
Chhath Puja 2026: The four days, explained day by day
Chhath is the only major Hindu festival where no priest is needed. The vrati — usually the mother of the house, though many men keep it too — stands in water and speaks to the Sun directly. In 2026 the Kartik Chhath runs from Friday 13 November to Monday 16 November.
Day 1 · Nahay Khay (13 Nov)
The house is scrubbed, the vrati bathes, preferably in the Ganga or a pond, and eats one sattvik meal: arwa chawal, chane ki dal and lauki (kaddu) ki sabzi cooked in ghee with rock salt. From this day onion, garlic and regular salt leave the kitchen.
Day 2 · Kharna (14 Nov)
A full-day fast ends after sunset with rasiyaw — rice cooked in gur and milk — and soft roti, eaten in silence. Family members take the leftover as prasad. Right after this begins the hardest part: about 36 hours without food or water.
Day 3 · Sandhya Arghya (15 Nov)
Thekua is fried in the morning on a new chulha, and bamboo soop and daura are filled with sugarcane, coconut, banana, sweet lime, ginger plant, suthni and kerav. In the afternoon the family walks to the ghat, the daura carried on the head, singing "Kaanch hi baans ke bahangiya". Arghya is given to the setting Sun.
Day 4 · Usha Arghya (16 Nov)
Before dawn everyone returns to the ghat. The vrati stands in water facing east and offers arghya at sunrise. The fast is broken with ginger, water and prasad, and thekua is shared with neighbours — taking prasad from a vrati is considered a blessing.
Why the setting sun first?
Chhath is unusual in honouring the setting Sun before the rising one. One reading is gratitude: thank the day that ended before asking for the next. Another links Sandhya arghya to Pratyusha and Usha, the Sun's two consorts — evening light and morning light.
Arghya times differ by town. Check your local ghat committee or district administration notice for exact sunset and sunrise times.