Six days after Diwali, the riverbanks and ghats of Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh fill with people standing waist-deep in water, offering prayers to the sun. This is Chhath Puja, one of the oldest and most demanding festivals in India, dedicated to Surya, the Sun god, and Chhathi Maiya. Families from these regions now celebrate it wherever they live — in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and across the world.
Why Chhath is celebrated
Chhath is a thanksgiving to the sun for sustaining life on earth, and a prayer for the health and prosperity of the family. What makes it special is its simplicity: there are no idols and no priests needed — only the devotee, the water and the sun.
The four days of Chhath
Day 1 — Nahay Khay
The vratis (those keeping the fast) bathe in a river or pond and eat a single simple meal, usually rice, chana dal and lauki (bottle gourd), cooked without onion or garlic.
Day 2 — Kharna
A fast through the day, broken in the evening with kheer made with jaggery, and rotis, offered first to the gods. After this meal begins the hardest part: a nirjala fast of about 36 hours, without food or water.
Day 3 — Sandhya Arghya
In the evening, families walk to the ghat carrying soop — flat bamboo baskets filled with thekua (a sweet made of wheat flour and jaggery), sugarcane, coconut, bananas and seasonal fruit. As the sun sets, the vratis stand in the water and make their offering to the setting sun while folk songs of Chhath are sung.
Day 4 — Usha Arghya
Before dawn, everyone returns to the ghat. The offering is made to the rising sun, and only then is the fast broken, with prasad shared among family and neighbours.
What to wear for Chhath
- For the vratis: traditionally an unstitched, simple saree — often yellow, orange or red — that is easy to stand in the water with.
- For the family: new clothes are part of the festival. Comfortable cotton kurta sets in warm shades like turmeric yellow, saffron and red suit the long hours at the ghat.
- Practical touches: November mornings can be cold by the water — a light shawl or jacket over a cotton set works well for Usha Arghya.
See the festive season collection for easy cotton sets.
When is Chhath Puja?
Chhath falls on Kartik Shukla Shashthi, the sixth day after Diwali, usually in late October or November. Nahay Khay is two days earlier.
Chhath Puja ki hardik shubhkamnayein.
