Chhath Puja 2026
Friday, 13 November 2026
Friday
Updated:
Chhath Puja 2026 — Key Details
Chhath Puja is a 4-day festival of offerings to the Sun God, observed on Kartik Shukla Chaturthi through Saptami. The climactic rituals are Sandhya Arghya (evening offering to the setting Sun) and Usha Arghya (dawn offering to the rising Sun). In 2025, the main days were 27–28 Oct; in 2026 they are 15–16 Nov.
Chhath Puja 2026 — Significance & Celebration
Chhath Puja is one of the most demanding Hindu festivals — devotees (called Vratis) fast for 36 hours without food or water, stand in rivers or ponds for the evening and dawn offerings, and offer elaborate bamboo baskets (Daura Soop) filled with fruits, sugarcane, thekua (wheat cookies), and other offerings. The Sun is worshipped not in its noon form (Madhyahna Surya) but specifically at the moment of setting and rising — when it is at its most humble and close to the earth's horizon. This represents gratitude for the Sun's unconditional giving even at its moments of least power.
The Vedic origins of Chhath Puja are traced to Draupadi's worship of the Sun to sustain the Pandavas during their exile. The Padma Purana records that Karna, the son of Surya, was a daily worshipper who would stand in water and offer arghya (water offerings) to his divine father every morning. In the folk tradition of Bihar, Chhathi Maiya (the goddess Shashti — protector of children born on the 6th day) is also invoked alongside Surya, making Chhath a festival that combines solar worship with prayers for fertility and the wellbeing of children.
How to Celebrate Chhath Puja in 2026
- 1Day 1 (Nahay Khay): bathe in the river, eat a simple meal (once) — typically kaddu-bhat (pumpkin and rice)
- 2Day 2 (Kharna): fast the entire day; break the fast at night with rasiaav (rice kheer) and roti — no salt or sugar outside this meal
- 3Day 3 (Sandhya Arghya): maintain a 36-hour nirjala fast; go to the riverbank at sunset; stand in water and offer arghya to the setting Sun
- 4Day 4 (Usha Arghya): before sunrise, return to the river; stand in water and offer arghya to the rising Sun — the fast ends after this
- 5The Daura Soop (bamboo basket) for Arghya contains: sugarcane, thekua, fruit, coconut, and flowers
Traditional Foods
Vedic Astrology & Chhath Puja
Chhath Puja falls in Kartik — the month when the Sun is in Libra (its debilitation sign). Worshipping the setting and rising Sun during these 4 days is specifically meant to strengthen a debilitated Sun in the devotee's chart and in the cosmic chart. The 36-hour fast without water is among the most demanding of all Hindu religious observances — the physical discipline involved mirrors the solar discipline of constant giving without asking.
Dr. Meenakshi Sharma
PhD in Vedic Astrology • 20+ Years Experience
Distinguished Vedic astrologer specializing in natal chart analysis, predictive astrology, and Vedic remedial measures. Trusted by thousands for accurate Astrology interpretations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chhath Puja 2026 runs from Friday, 13 November (Nahay Khay) to Monday, 16 November. Kharna is on 14 November, the main Sandhya Arghya (evening offering) is on Sunday, 15 November, and Usha Arghya (dawn offering) is on 16 November 2026.
The setting and rising Sun represents the Sun at its most humble — closest to the earth's horizon, not at its noon peak. Worshipping the Sun at these moments symbolises gratitude for consistent giving even in moments of diminished power.
Thekua is the traditional Chhath Puja offering — a wheat and jaggery cookie fried in ghee, shaped with a mould, and filled in bamboo baskets for Arghya. It is one of the few festive foods unique to Chhath and is considered the most auspicious offering.
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