Chhath Puja

Chhath Puja is a four-day Hindu festival celebrated mainly in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh in India, and southern Nepal. Held in October or November, devotees worship the Sun God Surya and Chhathi Maiya with rituals that include fasting, holy bathing, and offerings at riverbanks.

• Devotees stand in water to offer prayers at sunrise and sunset
• Thekua, a sweet wheat snack, is the festival’s iconic offering
• Fasting and abstaining from water are central acts of devotion
• Celebrated mainly in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and southern Nepal
• Songs and stories are shared through the night at riverbanks

What it is

Chhath Puja is a deeply rooted Hindu festival dedicated to Surya, the Sun God, and Chhathi Maiya, his sister. It is marked by prayers of gratitude for the sun’s life-giving energy and requests for family well-being and prosperity. The festival is especially important to communities in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and southern Nepal, but is also celebrated by diaspora communities across the world. Chhath is seen as a time of purity, devotion, and connection to nature, with rituals that bring families and communities together along rivers and ponds.

Where it comes from

Chhath Puja is considered one of the oldest Hindu festivals, with references in both the Ramayana and Mahabharata. According to legend, Sita performed Chhath after returning to Ayodhya, and Kunti observed it for the well-being of her sons. The festival’s rituals are believed to have originated in the ancient city of Varanasi and spread across northern India and Nepal. Chhathi Maiya, the sixth form of Prakriti, is invoked for the protection and prosperity of children, and her worship is central to the festival’s traditions.

How it is celebrated

Chhath Puja unfolds over four days. On the first day, devotees bathe and clean their homes, preparing a simple meal as an offering. The second day, called Kharna, involves a strict fast without water, broken in the evening with a meal of jaggery kheer and roti. On the third day, families prepare traditional vegetarian offerings like thekua, rice laddus, and seasonal fruits, which are carried in bamboo baskets to riverbanks or ponds at sunset for the first arghya (offering) to the setting sun. Songs and stories are shared through the night. Before dawn on the final day, devotees return to the water to offer prayers to the rising sun, concluding the fast and festival with a sense of renewal and thanksgiving.

Joining in

If you visit during Chhath Puja, expect to see riverbanks and ponds in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Nepal’s Madhesh and Janakpur regions transformed by crowds of devotees in colourful attire. The atmosphere is solemn yet communal, with families singing traditional songs and sharing offerings. Visitors are welcome to observe the rituals respectfully, especially the evening and morning arghya ceremonies, but should be mindful of the sacredness of the space and the importance of purity in the festival’s customs.

In the news

• Indian Railways Announces Special Trains Ahead Of Diwali & Chhath Puja 2026Travel and Leisure Asia
• Chhath Puja | 2026, Hinduism, History, Rituals, Key Deities, Celebrations, Bihar, & IndiaBritannica
• Gauri Pradhan shares glimpse of her first Chhath Puja from ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2’ setsThe Times of India
• Durga Puja, Diwali, Chhath special trains: North Central Railway plans 1,000+ trips – Check routesThe Indian Express
• Why Chhath Puja Is A 'Scientific' Festival, Explains Vvaan Writer Arunabh KumarNDTV
• The Vvaan: Tamannaah Bhatia prays to the revered goddess of Chhath Puja as ‘Chhathi Maiya’ becomes first-ever Bollywood song dedicated to the festivalbollywoodhungama.com

Sources and attribution

This page is Mela's own summary, written in new words. Its facts are drawn from the Wikipedia article Chhath, whose text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Each photo is credited to its author beside it, and news headlines link to their publishers. For the full account, read the originals below.

Read more

• Chhath on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos
• Wikidata recordOpen data

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