one of India’s oldest and most revered Hindu festivals, will be celebrated from October 25 to October 28, 2025, marking a profound spiritual journey dedicated to the Sun God (Surya Dev) and Chhathi Maiya. This ancient four-day festival, celebrated predominantly in Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Nepal, represents a unique blend of devotion, environmental consciousness, and cultural heritage that has been preserved for centuries.
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When is Chhath Puja Celebrated?
Chhath Puja falls six days after Diwali, on the sixth day (Shashthi Tithi) of the lunar month of Kartika, typically in October or November. The festival begins on Saturday, October 25, 2025, with the Shashthi Tithi commencing at 6:04 AM on October 27 and ending at 7:59 AM on October 28, 2025.
The festival is celebrated twice annually—the main celebration occurs during Kartik Chhath (October-November), while a smaller observance takes place during Chaiti Chhath in the Chaitra month (March-April).
Duration and Four-Day Festival Structure
Chhath Puja spans four consecutive days, making it the second-longest Hindu festival after Navratri. Each day carries profound spiritual significance with distinct rituals that progressively intensify devotion and discipline.
Day 1: Nahay Khay (October 25, 2025)
The festival commences with Nahay Khay (meaning “bathe and eat”), where devotees take a holy bath, traditionally in sacred rivers like the Ganges or any clean water body. Following purification, devotees prepare and consume a single satvik meal—typically bottle gourd (lauki) curry with rice and chana dal—cooked in bronze or earthen vessels on wood or cow dung stoves. This meal marks the beginning of the spiritual fast and emphasizes purity, with strict avoidance of onion, garlic, and processed foods. Sunrise on this day occurs at 6:28 AM and sunset at 5:42 PM.
Day 2: Kharna (October 26, 2025)
On Kharna day, devotees observe a rigorous nirjala vrat (waterless fast) from sunrise (6:29 AM) to sunset (5:41 PM). After offering prayers to Chhathi Maiya in the evening, the fast is broken with a special meal of jaggery kheer (rice pudding), roti, and bananas, which is then distributed as prasad among family and neighbors. This meal marks the beginning of a 36-hour continuous fast without food or water that continues until the morning of the fourth day.
Day 3: Sandhya Arghya (October 27, 2025)
The third day represents the most sacred and intensive ritual of Chhath Puja. Devotees continue their waterless fast while spending the day preparing offerings—thekua (traditional cookies), rice laddus, seasonal fruits including bananas, coconuts, sugarcane, and other prasad items. All food is strictly vegetarian and prepared without salt, onion, or garlic, emphasizing purity.
As the sun sets at 5:40 PM, entire families gather at riverbanks, ponds, or water bodies. Devotees stand waist-deep in water, holding bamboo baskets (soop) filled with offerings, and perform Sandhya Arghya—offering prayers and water to the setting sun. The atmosphere becomes mesmerizing as riverbanks fill with devotees, diyas (oil lamps) illuminate the water, and traditional Chhath folk songs resonate through the air.
Day 4: Usha Arghya (October 28, 2025)
The festival concludes with Usha Arghya, performed at sunrise (6:30 AM). Devotees return to the water bodies to offer prayers and arghya to the rising sun, symbolizing gratitude for new beginnings and divine energy. After this final offering, the 36-hour fast is broken (parana) with prasad and water, often beginning with ginger or tulsi water. Devotees then share prasad with family, neighbors, and visitors, marking the conclusion of Chhath Puja with gratitude, healing, and peace.
How is Chhath Puja Celebrated?
Rituals and Spiritual Practices
Chhath Puja is distinguished by its austere and disciplined rituals that emphasize direct connection with nature rather than idol worship. The festival practices include:
Rigorous Fasting: The 36-hour nirjala fast is considered one of the most challenging aspects, testing devotees’ physical endurance and spiritual commitment.
Water Worship: Standing in water during arghya represents purification and direct communion with natural elements.
Offerings (Arghya): Devotees offer water, fruits, thekua, sugarcane, turmeric root, coconut, and seasonal produce in bamboo baskets to both setting and rising sun.
Traditional Music: Devotional Chhath folk songs, particularly those by legendary singer Sharda Sinha, create an uplifting spiritual atmosphere. Popular songs include “Pahile Pahil Chhathi Maiya,” “Kelwa Ke Paat Par,” and “Kaanch Hi Bans Ke Bahangiya”.
Community Participation: Chhath Puja emphasizes collective celebration, with communities gathering at ghats, cleaning riverbanks together, and sharing prasad, fostering unity and harmony.
Traditional Prasad and Food
Thekua is the most iconic prasad of Chhath Puja. These crunchy, deep-fried sweet cookies are made from whole wheat flour, jaggery or sugar, ghee, grated coconut, fennel seeds, and cardamom powder. Prepared without salt and with minimal water, thekua symbolizes purity and devotion, and can remain fresh for up to a week.
Other traditional offerings include rice laddus made with soaked rice and jaggery, kaddu-bhaat (pumpkin with rice), jaggery kheer, and various seasonal fruits. All food preparations follow satvik principles, avoiding onion, garlic, and processed ingredients.
Who Observes Chhath Puja?
Traditionally, women (called vratis or parvaitins) are the primary observers of Chhath Puja, fasting and praying for the well-being, prosperity, and longevity of their children and families. However, men also participate in the festival as it is not gender-specific. Once a family begins observing Chhath Puja, the tradition typically continues through successive generations.
Spiritual and Cultural Significance
Connection to Sun Worship and Nature
Chhath Puja represents one of the oldest forms of sun worship in Vedic tradition, recognizing Surya as the source of all life and energy. The festival honors both the rising and setting sun, symbolizing the complete cycle of life and the sun’s role in sustaining existence on Earth.
The worship of Chhathi Maiya, considered the consort or sister of Surya and a manifestation of Goddess Usha, is believed to grant health, longevity, fertility, and protection of children.
Bhuta Shuddhi: Purification of Five Elements
Chhath Puja embodies the practice of Bhuta Shuddhi—the purification of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and space) within the human body. Each ritual systematically cleanses these elements: bathing purifies water and earth elements, fasting purifies earth, standing in water while facing the sun purifies fire and air, and the meditative prayers purify the space element, leading to spiritual harmony and inner peace.
Environmental Consciousness
Chhath Puja stands out as an eco-friendly festival that traditionally uses only biodegradable materials—bamboo baskets, clay lamps, banana leaves, and natural offerings sourced directly from nature. The festival emphasizes cleaning water bodies before celebrations and promotes sustainable farming through use of natural ingredients.
The practice of gathering at riverbanks encourages reverence for water sources and environmental stewardship. However, modern celebrations have faced challenges with plastic pollution and non-biodegradable materials, prompting renewed calls for maintaining the festival’s traditional environmental values.
Cultural Identity and Community Bonding
For millions, particularly in Bihar, Chhath Puja represents a powerful expression of cultural identity and regional pride. The festival transcends social barriers, bringing together people from different backgrounds in collective prayer and celebration. Even those living far from Bihar recreate the rituals near lakes, ponds, and rivers worldwide, maintaining their connection to ancestral traditions.
The festival’s emphasis on simplicity, discipline, and gratitude—rather than elaborate displays—reflects its deep spiritual essence. As communities gather before dawn, singing traditional songs and standing together in water to honor the sun, Chhath Puja creates moments of profound collective devotion that strengthen social bonds and preserve cultural heritage across generations.
Modern Recognition
In recognition of its cultural significance, Chhath Puja has been proposed for nomination to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, with the Union Ministry of Culture acknowledging it as a living example of social harmony, environmental conservation, and women’s empowerment.
Chhath Puja 2025 continues to celebrate the timeless bond between humanity and nature, offering devotees a path to spiritual purification, community connection, and gratitude for the life-sustaining energy of the sun.
