Quick facts
- Date
- Sunday, 15 November 2026
- Hindu date
- Shukla paksha Shashthi
Kartik - Tithi begins / ends
- 11:24 PM, 14 Nov → 2:01 AM, 16 Nov
- Sandhya Arghya (sunset)
- 5:28 PM New Delhi · 5:01 PM Patna
- Usha Arghya (sunrise)
- Monday, 16 November 2026
6:44 AM New Delhi · 6:07 AM Patna - Sunrise · Sunset (New Delhi)
- 6:44 AM · 5:28 PM
- Vikram Samvat
- 2083 (Gujarati: 2083)
The four days of Chhath 2026
| Day | Date | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Nahay Khay | Friday, 13 November 2026 | Bath, cleaning the house, one sattvik meal (pumpkin, rice and chana dal) |
| Kharna | Saturday, 14 November 2026 | Fast all day; in the evening kheer of jaggery and roti as prasad, then the 36-hour fast without water begins |
| Sandhya Arghya | Sunday, 15 November 2026 | Arghya to the setting sun, standing in water at the ghat |
| Usha Arghya and parana | Monday, 16 November 2026 | Arghya to the rising sun, then the fast is broken |
Dates
| Year | Date | Hindu date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, 15 November 2026 | Shukla paksha Shashthi | Open in calendar |
| 2027 | Thursday, 4 November 2027 | Shukla paksha Shashthi | Open in calendar |
| 2028 | Monday, 23 October 2028 | Shukla paksha Shashthi | Open in calendar |
Dates are for New Delhi. Dates that have already passed are not listed. Later years are added once they have been checked.
About Chhath Puja
Chhath Puja is the great festival of Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and the Nepal Terai, now kept wherever families from these regions live. It is a worship of Surya, the Sun, and of Chhathi Maiya, and falls on Shukla Shashthi of Kartik, six days after Diwali.
Those keeping the vrat (the vrati) fast for about 36 hours without water, and stand in a river, pond or ghat to offer arghya to the setting sun on Shashthi and to the rising sun on the next morning. A smaller Chaiti Chhath is kept in the month of Chaitra.
How the date is decided
The main day of Chhath, the evening arghya, is kept on the day on which Kartik Shukla Shashthi is running at sunset. Nahay Khay and Kharna are on the two days before it, and the sunrise arghya is on the morning after.
How it is observed
- A four-day vrat: Nahay Khay, Kharna, Sandhya Arghya and Usha Arghya.
- Arghya of milk and water to the Sun, standing in water.
- Offerings of thekua, fruits and sugarcane in bamboo soops and baskets.
- Chhath songs sung at the ghat through the evening and before dawn.
Puja vidhi: how to do the puja
- On Nahay Khay, bathe, clean the house and kitchen, and eat a single sattvik meal of pumpkin, rice and chana dal.
- On Kharna, fast through the day; in the evening make kheer with jaggery and roti, offer it, eat it as prasad, and begin the fast without water.
- On Shashthi, fill bamboo soops and a daura with thekua, fruits, sugarcane and a diya, and carry them to the ghat.
- At sunset, stand in the water and offer arghya of milk and water to the setting sun with the soop in hand.
- Before dawn the next day, return to the ghat and offer arghya to the rising sun; then break the fast with prasad (parana).
Puja samagri checklist
Tick things off as you gather them; your list is kept on this device.
Katha: Why the Sun is worshipped on Chhath
Many stories are told about Chhath. One says that when Rama and Sita returned to Ayodhya, Sita kept a fast on Kartik Shukla Shashthi and worshipped the Sun, and the custom has continued since. Another remembers Karna, the son of Surya, who stood for hours in water every day offering arghya to his father.
In the Mahabharata it is also said that Draupadi kept this vrat when the Pandavas had lost their kingdom, and that their fortunes turned. The stories differ, but the heart of the day is the same: gratitude to the Sun, who sustains all life, and to Chhathi Maiya, who protects children.
Chhath Puja 2026 in other cities
| City | Date | Compared with New Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| New Delhi | Sunday, 15 November 2026 | same as New Delhi |
| London | Sunday, 15 November 2026 | same as New Delhi |
| New York | Saturday, 14 November 2026 | 1 day earlier |
| Toronto | Saturday, 14 November 2026 | 1 day earlier |
| Sydney | Sunday, 15 November 2026 | same as New Delhi |
| Dubai | Sunday, 15 November 2026 | same as New Delhi |
| Singapore | Sunday, 15 November 2026 | same as New Delhi |
| Johannesburg | Sunday, 15 November 2026 | same as New Delhi |
Frequently asked questions
When is Chhath Puja in 2026?
Chhath Puja 2026 falls on Sunday, 15 November 2026 (New Delhi). The tithi runs from 11:24 PM, 14 Nov to 2:01 AM, 16 Nov.
When is Chhath Puja in 2027?
Chhath Puja 2027 falls on Thursday, 4 November 2027 (New Delhi).
When is Chhath Puja in 2028?
Chhath Puja 2028 falls on Monday, 23 October 2028 (New Delhi).
When is the Chhath sandhya arghya?
The evening arghya is given at sunset on Shashthi. Sunset times for New Delhi and Patna are in the quick facts above; for your own city, use local sunset.
What is Kharna in Chhath?
Kharna is the second day, the day before the evening arghya. The vrati fasts during the day and in the evening eats kheer of jaggery and roti as prasad, after which the fast without water begins.
Why does the date of Chhath Puja change every year?
Chhath Puja follows the Hindu lunisolar calendar. It is tied to Shukla paksha Shashthi of the month of Kartik, not to a fixed Gregorian date. A lunar year is about eleven days shorter than a solar year, so the date moves earlier by roughly that much each year, until a leap month (Adhik Maas) is added and it jumps back.
Is Chhath Puja on the same day everywhere?
Not always. In New York, Toronto the date differs from New Delhi, because tithis are read at local sunrise or sunset and these places are many hours away from India. Use the city table above, or the calendar with your own location.