Chhath Puja 2025: Your complete 4-Day guide to fasting, rituals, and sacred arghya timings

Chhath Puja is a very old and difficult festival in India(BHARAT). It is a main part of the culture in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh, as well as the Terai region of Nepal.The entire celebration is focused on worshipping the Sun God (Surya Dev) and his powerful sister, Chhathi Maiya. The observance is defined by its rigorous fasting, ritual bathing, and the unique practice of giving offerings to both the setting and rising Sun.

In 2025, the four-day festival of devotion will run from October 25th to October 28th. Here is the faithful will honor the Sun’s life giving energy:

Day 1 is Nahay Khay (October 25) which means “bath and eat.” People start by taking a holy dip in a river or pond to clean their bodies. After that, they eat a simple, pure meal just rice, lentils (dal), and vegetables often on the bank of the water. This first day is about getting clean and starting the commitment to the fast.

Day 2: Kharna (October 26)
The second day, Kharna, demands genuine self-control. Devotees commit to a strict fast for the entire day, consuming absolutely nothing from sunrise to sunset. Once the Sun drops, the fast is symbolically broken. This is done after presenting an offering of a special meal to the Sun God, typically consisting of creamy kheer (sweetened rice pudding) and puris (deep-fried flatbread). Consuming this blessed food concludes the initial fast, but immediately ushers in the most difficult phase: the challenging, 36-hour continuous fast without water.

Day 3: Sandhya Arghya (October 27)
This is the main day, focusing on the Sandhya Arghya, the poignant offering to the setting Sun. Families rush to the water with colorful baskets (soops). They load them up with gifts for the gods, such as fruits, sugarcane, and a crunchy sweet called thekua.
Worshippers wade into the water, standing waist-deep, to perform the arghya ritual. This act is a profound expression of thanks to the Sun for sustaining life and is done while praying for the prosperity and health of the entire family.

Day 4: Usha Arghya and Parana (October 28)
The festival reaches its ending with the Usha Arghya, the offering to the rising Sun. Devotees return to the riverbanks before dawn to give thanks to the first light of the day. Once these final prayers are finished, the exhaustive, nearly 36-hour fast is finally broken in a ritual known as Parana.

Chhath Puja is a powerful lesson in discipline, devotion, and purity. Its rituals constantly reinforce the deep, irreplaceable bond between human life and the natural world, serving as an annual reminder to seek blessings for good health and harmony.