Chhath Puja 2026 lasts four days: Nahay-Khay on 13 November, Kharna on 14 November, the Sandhya Arghya on 15 November and the Usha Arghya on 16 November. Nahay-Khay has one sattvik meal (bottle gourd, chana dal and arwa rice, in rock salt), the Kharna evening the prasad of jaggery kheer and roti, and after it a waterless fast of about 36 hours until the parana after the Usha Arghya. Sunset for the Sandhya Arghya is at 5:28 PM in New Delhi and 5:01 PM in Patna; sunrise for the Usha Arghya at 6:44 AM and 6:07 AM. These rules come from folk tradition; no onion or garlic is used.
The four days, New Delhi and Patna
| Day | What | New Delhi | Patna |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 NovemberDay 1 | Nahay-Khay (sunrise) | 6:42 AM | 6:05 AM |
| 14 NovemberDay 2 | Kharna (prasad after sunset) | 5:28 PM | 5:01 PM |
| 15 NovemberDay 3 | Sandhya Arghya (sunset) | 5:28 PM | 5:01 PM |
| 16 NovemberDay 4 | Usha Arghya (sunrise), then parana | 6:44 AM | 6:07 AM |
In Indian Standard Time, SanatanBodh panchang calculation, checked against Drik Panchang. At the ghat the Sun may take a few more minutes to clear the horizon. Times for your city
Text a rule read in a text, with the text and place. Custom a folk custom, as the sources describe it; follow your family’s practice.
The rules of the four days
The rules of Chhath’s four days come from folk tradition, not from a Purana; so every rule here is a custom, and it varies a little by region and family.
Day one, Nahay-Khay: a bath and one sattvik meal Custom
The vratis clean the house and kitchen, bathe in a river, a pond or at home, and take the sankalpa of the fast. Only one meal is eaten that day: bottle gourd or pumpkin, chana dal and arwa rice, cooked with rock salt and ghee. The vratis eat first, then the family.
Sources: Webdunia, Chhath Nahay-Khay, 25 October 2025; Webdunia, what happens on Nahay-Khay, 17 November 2023; Hindi Wikipedia: Chhath Puja
Day two, Kharna (Lohanda): a day’s fast, prasad in the evening Custom
The day is spent fasting without water. In the evening, after the puja, the prasad of jaggery kheer and roti with ghee is taken, and shared with the family and neighbours. By custom the kheer is cooked on a new clay stove with mango wood.
Sources: Webdunia, how Kharna is kept, 29 October 2022; Webdunia, the four days of Chhath, 25 October 2025; Hindi Wikipedia: Chhath Puja; Drik Panchang: Chhath Puja 2026
About 36 hours without water after Kharna Custom
From the Kharna prasad until the parana after the Usha Arghya, the vratis take neither food nor water; this is Chhath’s hard ‘nirjala’ fast, about 36 hours long. In New Delhi in 2026, the time from the Kharna evening to the sunrise of the Usha Arghya is about 37 hours.
Sources: Webdunia, how Kharna is kept, 29 October 2022; Hindi Wikipedia: Chhath Puja; Dates and times: SanatanBodh panchang calculation, checked against Drik Panchang (New Delhi)
Day three, Sandhya Arghya: to the setting sun Custom
On Shashthi the family carries bamboo soops and dauras laid with thekua, rice laddoos (kasar) and fruit to the ghat. Standing in the water, the vratis offer arghya of water and milk to the setting sun, and Chhath songs are sung at night.
Sources: Webdunia, the four days of Chhath, 25 October 2025; Hindi Wikipedia: Chhath Puja
Day four, Usha Arghya: to the rising sun Custom
On Saptami the vratis reach the ghat before sunrise and offer arghya to the rising sun, facing east. Then the prasad is shared and the fast is broken.
Sources: Hindi Wikipedia: Chhath Puja; Webdunia, the four days of Chhath, 25 October 2025; Drik Panchang: Chhath Puja 2026
Purity, and who keeps it Custom
Chhath is held to be a fast of purity: by custom the prasad is cooked on a clay stove with mango wood and has no onion or garlic. The fast is kept mostly by women, but many men keep it too.
Sources: Hindi Wikipedia: Chhath Puja; Webdunia, how Kharna is kept, 29 October 2022; Webdunia, Chhath Nahay-Khay, 25 October 2025
Health first
A fast of about 36 hours without water is very hard. If you are pregnant, unwell, elderly or on regular medication, keep it waterless only after asking your doctor and your elders.
What is eaten: day by day
The Nahay-Khay meal Custom
Bottle gourd or pumpkin, chana dal and arwa (raw, unparboiled) rice, cooked in rock salt and desi ghee; once in the day.
Sources: Webdunia, Chhath Nahay-Khay, 25 October 2025; Webdunia, what happens on Nahay-Khay, 17 November 2023; Hindi Wikipedia: Chhath Puja
The Kharna prasad Custom
Kheer of jaggery and rice (called rasiyav in many places) and roti with ghee; fruit as well in many homes. The same prasad is given to the family and neighbours.
Sources: Webdunia, how Kharna is kept, 29 October 2022; Webdunia, the four days of Chhath, 25 October 2025; Hindi Wikipedia: Chhath Puja
The arghya prasad Custom
Thekua made of wheat flour and jaggery, rice laddoos (kasar) and seasonal fruit are laid in the soop; after the parana this is the prasad that is shared.
Sources: Hindi Wikipedia: Chhath Puja; Webdunia, the four days of Chhath, 25 October 2025
What not to eat
Onion, garlic and non-vegetarian food Custom
From Nahay-Khay onward no tamasic food (onion, garlic, meat) is cooked at home; the family too eats pure vegetarian food.
Sources: Webdunia, Chhath Nahay-Khay, 25 October 2025; Webdunia, what happens on Nahay-Khay, 17 November 2023; Hindi Wikipedia: Chhath Puja
Ordinary salt Custom
The Nahay-Khay meal is cooked with rock salt, not ordinary salt.
Sources: Webdunia, Chhath Nahay-Khay, 25 October 2025; Webdunia, what happens on Nahay-Khay, 17 November 2023; Hindi Wikipedia: Chhath Puja
Nothing at all after Kharna Custom
After the Kharna prasad the vratis neither eat nor drink anything until the Usha Arghya.
Sources: Webdunia, how Kharna is kept, 29 October 2022; Hindi Wikipedia: Chhath Puja
Parana: how to break the fast
After the Usha Arghya, with prasad Custom
On Saptami morning, after the arghya to the rising sun, pray to Chhathi Maiya for the family’s wellbeing, then break the fast with prasad. According to Hindi Wikipedia many homes break it with a drink of raw milk and a little prasad. The prasad is shared at the ghat and with the neighbours.
Sources: Hindi Wikipedia: Chhath Puja; Webdunia, the four days of Chhath, 25 October 2025; Drik Panchang: Chhath Puja 2026
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Frequently asked questions
What are the four dates of Chhath Puja 2026?
Nahay-Khay on Friday, 13 November 2026, Kharna on Saturday, 14 November 2026, the Sandhya Arghya on Sunday, 15 November 2026 and the Usha Arghya and parana on Monday, 16 November 2026.
What is eaten on Nahay-Khay?
By custom bottle gourd or pumpkin, chana dal and arwa rice, cooked with rock salt and ghee, once in the day. The vratis eat first, then the family.
What is the Kharna prasad?
Jaggery kheer and roti with ghee, with fruit in many homes. It is taken at the evening puja after a day’s fast, and the waterless fast begins after it.
When does Chhath’s 36-hour waterless fast run?
From the prasad on the Kharna evening until the parana after the Usha Arghya. In 2026, Kharna is on the evening of 14 November and the Usha Arghya on the morning of 16 November.
Do men keep the Chhath fast too?
Yes. The fast is kept mostly by women, but many men keep it too.
Are the Chhath rules written in a text?
The rules of the four days come from folk tradition. The story of Shashthi Devi is in the Brahmavaivarta Purana, but that text does not give the rules of Nahay-Khay, Kharna or the arghyas.
Sources
- Hindi Wikipedia: Chhath Puja
- Webdunia, Chhath Nahay-Khay, 25 October 2025
- Webdunia, what happens on Nahay-Khay, 17 November 2023
- Webdunia, how Kharna is kept, 29 October 2022
- Webdunia, the four days of Chhath, 25 October 2025
- Drik Panchang: Chhath Puja 2026
- Dates and times: SanatanBodh panchang calculation, checked against Drik Panchang (New Delhi)
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