Four days of devotion to the Sun God, ending with offered from the water at sunset and sunrise.
The story
- Four days of prayer to the Sun, seen as the source of life, energy and light, and to Chhathi Maiya, asking for long life, prosperity and well-being.
- Kept on the sixth day of Kartik, mainly in Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
- Rare in honouring the setting sun as well as the rising one: offerings at riverbanks at dusk on day three and at dawn on day four.
What happens
- Nahay Khay
Purifying bath
Devotees bathe in a river and eat a single simple meal.
Day-long fast
A fast without water ends at night with kheer and roti offered as .
- Sandhya
Offering to the setting sun
The main evening: devotees stand in the water to offer as the sun goes down.
- Usha
Offering to the rising sun
fill again before dawn; the 36-hour fast ends after sunrise.
Best places to see it
What to eat
A crisp sweet of wheat flour and jaggery, fried in ghee: the best-known offering of Chhath.
Made at home by families observing Chhath and carried to the ghats as an offering.
Rice cooked in milk with jaggery, made on the evening of Kharna, the second day.
Cooked at home on Kharna and shared after the evening offering.
On the first day: rice, lauki (bottle gourd) and chana dal cooked in ghee, without onion or garlic.
Cooked at home on the first day of the festival.
Know before you go
- This is a deeply devotional fast, so watch quietly and give space.
- Never step over or touch the (bamboo baskets) of offerings.
- Ask before photographing anyone in the water.
- Arrive well before sunset; fill early.
Organised by
Community celebration
There's no single organiser. Local committees, temples and families make it happen, so welcome and etiquette matter more than tickets.