4-Day Mahaparv Begins November 13,Timings for Nahay-Khay, Kharna, and Arghya
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The grand four-day festival of faith, devotion, and purity—Chhath Puja—is scheduled to commence on Friday, November 13, 2026, culminating with the dawn offerings on Monday, November 16. Dedicated to the worship of the Sun God, Lord Surya, and his consort Chhath Maiya, this revered Vedic festival is celebrated with profound spiritual fervor across northern and eastern India, as well as by the global diaspora. During this sacred observance, devotees, known as vratis, undertake an exceptionally demanding 36-hour waterless (nirjala) fast, offering prayers primarily for the health, longevity, protection, and prosperity of their children, as well as overall domestic well-being.
Ritual Foundations: Nahay-Khay on November 13 and Kharna on November 14
According to the Vedic panchang, the sacred rituals initiate on the Chaturthi Tithi of Shukla Paksha in the month of Kartik with Nahay-Khay on Friday, November 13. On this opening day, devotees take a ceremonial holy bath, thoroughly cleanse their living spaces, and offer prayers to Lord Surya before consuming a sattvic meal prepared strictly without onion or garlic, featuring bottle gourd (kaddu), Bengal gram lentils, and rice. The spiritual intensity escalates on Saturday, November 14, marking the second day known as Kharna, celebrated on Panchami Tithi. On this evening, after preparing a traditional offering of jaggery kheer, roti, and fruits for Chhath Maiya, the devotees consume the prasad, formally entering their rigorous 36-hour unbroken nirjala fast.
Cosmic Offerings: Sandhya Arghya Sunset at 5:45 PM and Usha Arghya Sunrise at 6:47 AM
The pinnacle of collective devotion unfolds on the third day, Shashthi Tithi, celebrated as Sandhya Arghya on Sunday, November 15. Thousands of devotees gather along riverbanks, lakes, and decorated water bodies to stand waist-deep in water and present traditional bamboo baskets (soop) laden with seasonal fruits, sugarcane, and the iconic thekua prasad to the setting sun, with sunset scheduled for 5:45 PM. The multi-day festival reaches its auspicious conclusion on Saptami Tithi, Monday, November 16, with Usha Arghya offered to the rising sun at 6:47 AM. Following these early-morning prayers, devotees distribute prasad, break their arduous fast with ginger and water (paran), and seek divine blessings for happiness and family prosperity.
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