Chhath Puja 2026: Nahay Khay, Kharna on November 14, and Sandhya and Usha Arghya Timings

Chhath Puja is the great sun festival of Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Nepal's Madhesh, and of their communities across India and abroad. It comes six days after Diwali, on Kartika Shukla Shashthi, and is known for its strict fasts and for devotees standing in rivers and ponds to offer arghya to the sun.

This guide gives the 2026 dates, explains what happens on each of the four days, and lists published arghya timings for major cities. It was written on November 7, a week before Kharna.

Chhath Puja 2026 Calendar

Drik Panchang lists Chhath Puja itself, the Shashthi day, as Sunday, November 15, 2026. Shashthi tithi begins at 11:23 PM on November 14 and ends at 2:00 AM on November 16 (New Delhi). It is the tithi in effect at sunset on November 15, which is why the main evening arghya falls that day.

One online fashion-brand page lists Nahay Khay on November 14 and mentions old October dates in the same article; we treat it as an error, because the panchang-based sources agree on November 13.

What Happens on Each Day

Day 1, November 13: Nahay Khay

"Nahay khay" means "bathe and eat". The vratin (the person keeping the fast, most often a woman of the household, though men also observe it) bathes, ideally in a river or pond, and the home is cleaned. They eat a single pure vegetarian meal, traditionally rice, chana dal and bottle gourd (lauki) cooked without onion or garlic.

Day 2, November 14: Kharna

Kharna, also called Lohanda, is the target date of this guide. According to HinduTone's account of the ritual, the vratin fasts through the day. After sunset, the sun is worshipped and a prasad of rasiao kheer (rice cooked in milk with jaggery) and roti is prepared, often on a clay chulha using mango wood, and usually without salt.

The vratin eats the prasad first, in quiet, and it is then shared with family and neighbours. After this, the 36-hour nirjala fast, without food or water, begins and lasts until parana on the morning of November 16. Family customs about the Kharna menu vary.

Day 3, November 15: Sandhya Arghya

The family carries baskets (daura and soop) of fruit, sugarcane and thekua, a fried wheat-and-jaggery sweet, to a ghat. In the evening the vratin stands in the water and offers arghya to the setting sun, while women sing traditional Chhath songs. It is the most visible day of the festival, when riverbanks in Patna, Varanasi, Delhi and many other cities fill with families.

Day 4, November 16: Usha Arghya and parana

Before dawn, devotees return to the water and offer arghya to the rising sun. The vratin then breaks the fast with prasad, a step called parana.

Arghya Timings for Major Cities

These are sunset and sunrise times published by HinduTone from Drik Panchang (fetched October 21, 2026). Arghya is offered at local sunset and sunrise, so a few minutes' difference within a city is normal.

Devotees abroad should use their own city's sunset and sunrise on November 15 and 16, not Indian times.

Why Chhath Is Celebrated

Chhath is dedicated to Surya, the sun god, and to Chhathi Maiya, a mother goddess who devotees believe protects children. Wikipedia notes the festival is traced in popular tradition to episodes in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, including Sita's worship of the sun and Karna as a devotee of Surya. These are religious traditions rather than documented history.

The rituals centre on the vratin and the family, with an emphasis on purity, fasting and simple natural offerings such as fruit, sugarcane and thekua, which Wikipedia calls the festival's most iconic offering. The Kartika festival covered here is the main one; a second, Chaiti Chhath, is observed in the month of Chaitra, in spring.

Practical Tips for Chhath 2026

• Travel early. Trains to Bihar and eastern UP are usually heavily booked in the week after Diwali. Check confirmed tickets well before November 13.
• Ghat safety. Follow local administration notices on designated ghats, water depth and crowd routes, and keep children close at the water's edge.
• Holidays. States such as Bihar and Jharkhand usually declare Chhath holidays, but check the 2026 state notification; we have not verified individual holiday lists.
• Prepare offerings early. Thekua is often made on the afternoon of Sandhya Arghya; sugarcane, fruits and soop baskets sell out in local markets.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Chhath Puja 2026?

From Friday, November 13 to Monday, November 16, 2026. The main day (Sandhya Arghya) is Sunday, November 15.

When is Kharna in 2026?

Saturday, November 14, 2026. The Kharna prasad is eaten after sunset that evening.

What time is Sandhya Arghya in Patna?

Published sunset time for Patna on November 15, 2026 is 5:01 PM.

How many days after Diwali is Chhath?

Chhath falls on Kartika Shukla Shashthi, six days after Diwali's Amavasya. In 2026, Lakshmi Puja is on November 8 and Chhath's main day on November 15.

Conclusion

Chhath Puja 2026 begins with Nahay Khay on November 13, reaches Kharna on Saturday, November 14, and peaks with the sunset and sunrise arghyas on November 15 and 16. Confirm local timings and travel early. For the festival week before it, see our Diwali 2026 calendar, and for everything else on the date, our November 14, 2026 preview.