Chhath Puja 2026 runs from November 13 to 16: Nahay Khay on Friday, Kharna on Saturday, Sandhya Arghya on Sunday evening, and Usha Arghya on Monday morning. Here are the dates, the rituals, and what Delhi is planning.
Updated: October 28, 2026, 1:30 PM IST
Quick Read:
- Chhath Puja 2026: November 13 (Nahay Khay), November 14 (Kharna), November 15 (Sandhya Arghya), November 16 (Usha Arghya and parana).
- The fast is 36 hours without water after Kharna, broken only after the morning arghya on November 16.
- Delhi will set up more than 1,400 ghats this year, up from 1,326 last year, with basic preparations to be finished by November 6.
The four days, in order
Chhath is a four-day festival dedicated to the Sun god, Surya, and to Chhathi Maiya. It needs no idol and no priest: a person keeping the fast, a basket of offerings, a stretch of water, and the sun. It is the biggest festival of the year for families from Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and the Nepal Terai. Day one, Friday, November 13: Nahay Khay. The vrati — the person keeping the fast — bathes in a river or pond. The house is cleaned, and the kitchen is kept only for Chhath food. The day’s one meal is famously plain: rice, chana dal and lauki (bottle gourd), cooked without onion or garlic, often with sendha namak. Day two, Saturday, November 14: Kharna (also called Lohanda). The vrati fasts through the day and breaks it after sunset with rasiao kheer (gur kheer) and roti prasad. After this meal, the 36-hour nirjala fast begins — no food, and no water either. Day three, Sunday, November 15: Sandhya Arghya. This is the main day. In the evening, the vrati stands in water at the ghat and offers arghya — water, milk and offerings in a bamboo soop — to the setting sun. Families gather at the ghat hours early; in Patna, the sunset arghya is around 5:00 pm, and in Delhi around 5:27 pm, per published 2026 arghya tables. Check your local panchang for the exact minute in your city. Day four, Monday, November 16: Usha Arghya and parana. Before sunrise, the vrati stands in the water again and offers arghya to the rising sun. In Patna, sunrise is around 6:07 am; in Delhi, around 6:44 am. After the morning arghya, the fast is broken — this is parana. The 36-hour fast ends.
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Why the dates fall where they do
Chhath falls on Kartik Shukla Shashthi — the sixth day of the bright half of the month of Kartik. In 2026, Shashthi runs from late on the night of November 14 to about 2 am on November 16, per Drik Panchang. That is why the evening arghya falls on Sunday, November 15, and the morning arghya on Monday, November 16. The festival comes six days after Diwali, which falls on November 8 this year, and four days after Bhaiya Dooj on November 11. The Central Government’s 2026 holiday list also marks November 15 as Pratihar Shashthi / Surya Shashthi (Chhath Puja).
What Delhi is planning this year
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta reviewed Chhath preparations on October 27 and directed officials to complete basic preparations at all ghats by November 6. All major arrangements must be in place at least two days before the festival, with only water filling, tent installation and final cleaning left for the last days. More than 1,400 ghats will be set up across Delhi this year, up from 1,326 last year, the Chief Minister’s Office said. November 16 will be a public holiday in Delhi. Arrangements include CCTV cameras at major ghats, fire tenders near crowded ghats, covered tents at large and medium ghats, welcome gates and LED screens at major model ghats, and adequate toilets and changing rooms for women. Sanitation teams will work round the clock during the expected rush on November 15 and 16. Roads leading to the ghats will be repaired and kept dust-free, and traffic police will coordinate parking, diversions and road closures. The Delhi government also plans to invite foreign ambassadors and high commissioners to the celebrations, in coordination with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). A venue such as Sur Ghat is under consideration, ThePrint reported.
Practical tips for the ghat
Reach the ghat 30-45 minutes before arghya time. At a riverbank, buildings and trees on the far side can hide the sun a few minutes early in the evening or late in the morning, so the published sunset minute is not the minute to arrive — it is the minute to already be standing in the water. Keep the offerings simple and traditional: thekua (the wheat-jaggery biscuit that is Chhath’s signature prasad), fruits, sugarcane, and coconut in the soop. Do not taste anything meant for offering before it is offered — that is the core discipline of the fast. For health: the 36-hour nirjala fast is demanding. Elderly people, pregnant women, and anyone with a medical condition should talk to a doctor before keeping it, and should not push through dizziness or faintness at the ghat. The fast is an act of devotion, not a test of endurance.
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FAQ
Q: When is Chhath Puja in 2026? A: November 13-16: Nahay Khay on Friday, November 13; Kharna on Saturday, November 14; Sandhya Arghya on Sunday, November 15; Usha Arghya and parana on Monday, November 16.
Q: How long is the Chhath fast? A: After the Kharna meal on the evening of November 14, the vrati keeps a 36-hour nirjala fast — no food and no water — until the morning arghya on November 16.
Q: How many ghats will Delhi set up for Chhath 2026? A: More than 1,400, up from 1,326 last year, with basic preparations to be completed by November 6 and November 16 as a public holiday.
Sources: Drik Panchang 2026 Chhath calendar (dates, tithi); published 2026 arghya tables (Patna/Delhi sunset and sunrise times); The Hindu, ThePrint, Indian Express, Times Now (Delhi ghat preparations, October 27-28, 2026).
