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New Delhi: Chhath Puja is a four-day Hindu festival celebrated in honour of the Sun God or Surya Devta and his sister, Chhathi Maiya. In 2025, Chhath Puja will be observed from October 25 to 20. The word “chhath” means sixth in Maithili, and Bhojpuri languages. It is celebrated with rituals including fasting, holy dips in rivers, and making offerings known as arghya to the rising and setting sun. The festival focusses on purity, gratitude for life and prosperity, and has strong ties to agricultural success.
While Chhath Puja is celebrated across India, it is particularly prominent in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh, as well as in the Madhesh region of Nepal. It begins on the sixth day or shashti of the lunar month of Kartika, which typically falls in October or November. Dive in deeper for Chhath Puja dates, significance and rituals.
Day 1: Nahay Khay | Saturday, October 25, 2025
Devotees commence the festival with a holy bath in rivers or ponds, followed by eating a pure, satvik meal prepared without onion or garlic.
Day 2: Kharna | Sunday, October 26, 2025
This day involves a rigorous fast without water until sunset, when devotees break their fast by consuming jaggery kheer, roti, and fruits as prasad.
Day 3: Sandhya Arghya | Monday, October 27, 2025
Devotees offer prayers and arghya to the setting sun standing waist-deep in water, carrying bamboo baskets or soop filled with traditional offerings like thekua, fruits, and sugarcane.
Day 4: Usha Arghya | Tuesday, October 28, 2025
The final day involves morning offerings to the rising sun. After the ritual, devotees break their fast and share prasad with family and community, marking the conclusion with gratitude and peace.
Beyond the spiritual significance of thanking the Sun for providing us a good life, there is science linked to the rituals. When a devotee pray or stand at the river bank during sunrise and sunset, the ultraviolet sunrays are at their lowest and hence benefits the most. These sun rays help in detoxifying the mind, body, and soul by removing all negative energies. The most unique feature of Chhath Puja is that there is no murti pujan or idol worshipping.
1. Nahay khay
Taking a holy bath and cleaning homes to symbolise purification.
2. Kharna
A day-long fast that is broken in the evening with rice pudding or kheer and fruits, which are then offered to the deity and shared.
3. Sandhya arghya
A ritual at sunset on the third day, where devotees gather at riverbanks to make offerings to the setting sun.
4. Usha arghya
A dawn ritual on the fourth day, with similar offerings made to the rising sun to conclude the festival.
5. Fasting
The crucial part of the festival is a rigorous fast, which can last for 36 hours and include abstaining from water.
6. Offerings
Devotees offer seasonal fruits, sweets, and kheer in cane baskets (soops) as prasad to the Sun God.
Chhath Puja is a celebration of faith, discipline, and gratitude towards nature’s life-giving energy. As devotees stand in rivers and lakes offering prayers to the setting and rising sun, the festival mirrors India’s timeless bond with the elements that sustain existence.
