Chhath Puja 2026 — Date, Schedule, Puja Vidhi, Samagri List & Thekua Recipe
Quick Answer: Chhath Puja 2026 spans four days — 28 to 31 October. Sandhya Arghya (sunset offering to Surya Dev) is on 30 October evening, and Usha Arghya (sunrise offering) is on 31 October morning. The festival is dedicated to Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya. Key prasad: Thekua (fried wheat sweet), sugarcane, fruits, and rice laddus arranged in a bamboo soop.
Chhath Puja 2026 — Four Day Complete Schedule
| Day | Date 2026 | Name | Key Ritual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | 28 Oct — Wednesday | Nahay Khay | Vrati takes holy snan, eats saatvik meal (lauki sabzi + chawal). Fast begins after this. |
| Day 2 | 29 Oct — Thursday | Kharna / Lohanda | Nirjala vrat all day. Evening: vrati prepares kheer-puri prasad, offers to Surya, then breaks fast. Family eats prasad together. |
| Day 3 | 30 Oct — Friday | Sandhya Arghya | Main ritual — sunset arghya. Vrati goes to ghat with soop. Stands in water and offers arghya to the setting sun. Chhath geet sung. |
| Day 4 | 31 Oct — Saturday | Usha Arghya / Parana | Pre-dawn arrival at ghat. Sunrise arghya offered to the rising sun. Fast ends (parana) with Thekua and prasad. |
For exact sunrise/sunset times on 30–31 October 2026 in your city, check Drik Panchang — Chhath Puja 2026.
What Is Chhath Puja — The Ancient Vedic Festival of Surya Dev
Chhath Puja is one of the most ancient Vedic rituals surviving in its near-original form to this day. Unlike most Hindu festivals that evolved over centuries, Chhath Puja's rituals — standing in water, facing the sun, offering raw natural items — directly mirror the Rigvedic Surya Aradhana hymns composed thousands of years ago.
The word "Chhath" comes from the Sanskrit Shashthi — meaning the sixth day. The festival is observed on the sixth day (Shashthi) of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of Kartik month.
Who is Chhathi Maiya? She is the sixth form of Prakriti (divine nature) — the universal mother who blesses devotees with children, their health, and protection. In folk tradition, she is also called Shashthi Devi — the protector goddess of newborns and children. When a child is born in a household, Shashthi puja is done on the sixth day — hence the deep connection between Chhath and the protection of family.
According to the Chhath Puja tradition, the festival is particularly connected to the Mahabharata — Karna, the great warrior and son of Surya Dev, is said to have been the first to perform this arghya ritual, standing in river water to offer prayers to his divine father.
Why Is Chhath Puja So Rigorous — The Spiritual Logic
Chhath Puja is famously one of the most physically demanding religious observances in the world. The vrati (devotee — primarily women) undergoes:
- 36-hour nirjala fast (no food, no water) — from Kharna evening until Usha Arghya
- Standing in cold river water — often for 30–60 minutes during arghya
- No footwear at the ghat — bare feet on sand or stone
- All preparations done personally — the vrati herself makes Thekua and all prasad with clean hands, fresh ingredients, no onion-garlic
This austerity is intentional. The Rigveda teaches that the Sun's energy is the source of all life on earth — Surya Shakti. By standing in the liminal space between water and sky at the exact moments of sunrise and sunset — when the sun's electromagnetic energy is at its most healing — the vrati literally absorbs that cosmic energy. The fast purifies the body; the cold water and standing posture activate the body's energy system. Science has validated that sunrise and sunset light carry unique UV frequencies beneficial for vitamin D synthesis and circadian regulation.
Chhath Puja Samagri — Complete Shopping List
| Item | Purpose | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Bamboo/cane soop (tray) | Main offering plate for all prasad | 1–2 |
| Thekua (fried wheat sweet) | Most essential prasad — must be homemade | As much as possible |
| Sugarcane stalks | Surya Dev's favourite — tied in soop | 4–6 stalks |
| Chakotra (grapefruit) | Sacred fruit of Chhath | 4–6 |
| Banana (whole branch preferred) | Prasad offering | 1 branch or 12+ pieces |
| Coconut (whole) | Prasad offering | 2–4 |
| Rice laddus | Prasad | As per family size |
| Raw turmeric (haldi) | Sacred — must be fresh and whole | 4–6 pieces |
| Ginger root | Sacred — fresh whole ginger | 4–6 pieces |
| Seasonal fruits | Apple, pear, orange, guava | Variety |
| Ghee diyas | Lighting during arghya | 5–10 |
| Incense sticks | Surya puja fragrance | 1 pack |
| Red/yellow cloth | For soop decoration and vrati's clothing | 2 metres |
| Ganga Jal | Sanctification of water at home ghat | 1 bottle |
Thekua Recipe — Chhath Ka Sabse Mukhya Prasad
Thekua is the soul of Chhath Puja. It must be made at home by the vrati or family with clean hands and pure intention — store-bought Thekua is not offered in traditional puja.
Ingredients (for approximately 30–40 pieces)
- 2 cups wheat flour (gehu ka aata — coarse/whole wheat preferred)
- 1 cup jaggery (gud) — grated or powdered
- 3 tablespoons ghee (for dough) + extra for frying
- ½ cup dessicated coconut (sukhha nariyal)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder (ilaychi)
- Water as needed to bind
Method
- Mix jaggery with a little warm water to dissolve. Let it cool.
- Combine wheat flour, ghee, coconut, saunf, and cardamom.
- Add jaggery water gradually and knead into a firm, stiff dough (not soft — Thekua must be crispy).
- Take small portions, press into a wooden mold (Thekua mold) or shape by hand into a disc with a pattern pressed in.
- Deep fry in ghee or refined oil on medium heat until golden brown — approximately 4–5 minutes per batch.
- Drain and cool completely. Thekua keeps fresh for 5–7 days.
Chhath Puja 2026 — Hindi Mein Poori Jankari
Chhath Puja 2026 mein 28 se 31 October tak chalegi. Yeh bharat ka sabse purana aur sabse katha vrat hai — jisme vrati 36 ghante nirjala rehti hain aur nadi ke kinare khade hokar doobte aur ughte suraj ko arghya deti hain.
Chaar dino ka schedule:
- Nahay Khay (28 Oct): Snan karo, lauki-chawal khao, vrat shuru karo.
- Kharna (29 Oct): Din bhar nirjala. Shaam ko kheer-puri prasad banao, Surya ko arpan karo, phir ghar wale khayein.
- Sandhya Arghya (30 Oct): Soop mein Thekua, ganna, phal leke ghat pe jao. Doobte suraj ko paani mein khade hokar arghya do.
- Usha Arghya (31 Oct): Brahma Muhurta se pehle ghat pahuncho. Ughte suraj ko arghya do. Vrat toro — prasad khao.
Chhath Puja mein koi mandir nahi, koi pandit zaroori nahi — sirf shudh mann, saaf haath, aur Surya Dev ke prati anant shraddha chahiye. Yahi iska sabse bada sandesh hai.
Frequently Asked Questions — Chhath Puja 2026
Q: Chhath Puja 2026 kab se kab tak hai?
28 October (Nahay Khay) se 31 October (Usha Arghya) tak. Sabse important din 30 Oct (Sandhya Arghya) aur 31 Oct (Usha Arghya) hain.
Q: Chhath Puja sirf Bihar mein hoti hai ya pure India mein?
Chhath Puja mainly Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern UP, aur Nepal mein hoti hai — lekin ab Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, aur har bade sheher mein bhi celebrate hoti hai jahan Bihar-UP ke log rehte hain. Abroad mein bhi — USA, UK, Mauritius mein Chhath manayi jaati hai.
Q: Kya mard bhi Chhath ka vrat rakh sakte hain?
Haan — Chhath Puja sirf mahilaon ka vrat nahi hai. Purush bhi poori vidhi ke saath vrat rakh sakte hain. Karna (Mahabharata) ke samay se purush bhi Surya Dev ki is vidhi se aradhana karte aaye hain.
