Chhath Puja 2027 dates, from Nahay Khay to Usha Arghya

Chhath Puja 2027 runs for four days from Tuesday, 2 November to Friday, 5 November. The main day, when devotees offer prayers to the setting sun (Sandhya Arghya), falls on Thursday, 4 November, and the festival ends with prayers to the rising sun (Usha Arghya) on the morning of 5 November.

Chhath falls six days after Diwali, which is on 29 October 2027. Here is the day-by-day schedule and how to plan.

Key points

• Nahay Khay: Tuesday 2 November 2027.
• Kharna: Wednesday 3 November; the 36-hour fast without water begins after the evening meal.
• Sandhya Arghya (sunset offering): Thursday 4 November (restricted holiday for central government staff).
• Usha Arghya (sunrise offering) and the end of the fast: Friday 5 November.
• Sunset on 4 November is at about 5:05 PM in Patna and 5:33 PM in Delhi, according to one panchang.

Chhath Puja 2027 day by day

The arghya times depend on the exact time of sunset and sunrise in your city. Check a local panchang.

What Chhath celebrates

Chhath is dedicated to Surya, the Sun god, and to Chhathi Maiya (Shashthi Devi), the goddess believed to protect children. It is one of the few Hindu festivals in which the setting sun is worshipped as well as the rising sun. Devotees give thanks for life, health and the harvest, and pray for the well-being of their families, especially their children.

The festival falls on the sixth day (Shashthi) of the bright half of the month of Kartik, which is why it is also called Surya Shashthi. The government's 2027 holiday list names it "Pratihar Shashthi or Surya Shashthi (Chhath Puja)".

Several stories are linked to it. One tradition says Sita observed the fast after returning to Ayodhya; another links it to Karna, the son of Surya in the Mahabharata, and to Draupadi.

The 36-hour fast

Chhath is known for one of the hardest fasts in Hindu tradition. After the Kharna meal on the evening of the second day, the person observing the fast, the vratti (often, but not only, a woman of the household), goes without food or water for about 36 hours, until the sunrise offering on the fourth day.

The rules are strict. The food for the festival is cooked in a separate, cleaned area, often on a new earthen stove, and without onion, garlic or regular salt. Anyone with a health condition should consult a doctor; many families share the fast so that elders or people with health problems can take part safely.

Offerings and food

• Thekua: The signature offering, a crisp, sweet biscuit of wheat flour, jaggery and ghee, pressed into a wooden mould.
• Fruit and produce: Bananas, coconuts, sugarcane stalks, oranges, sweet lime, radish and turmeric plants, arranged in bamboo baskets called soop and daura.
• Kheer and roti: The Kharna meal of rice cooked in jaggery and milk, eaten after the day's fast.
• Kasaar: A sweet made from rice flour and jaggery.

The songs of Chhath

Chhath has its own music. Folk songs in Bhojpuri, Maithili and Magahi, sung by women as they walk to the ghats and stand in the water, are as much a part of the festival as the offerings. Songs such as "Kaanch hi baans ke bahangiya" describe the bamboo pole used to carry the offerings to the river. The late folk singer Sharda Sinha, whose Chhath songs have been played across Bihar for decades, remains the voice most associated with the festival.

Chaiti Chhath

Chhath is celebrated twice a year. The bigger festival is in the month of Kartik, after Diwali. A smaller Chaiti Chhath is held in the spring month of Chaitra, around March or April, with the same four-day rituals, by families who have taken a vow to observe it.

Where Chhath is celebrated

Chhath is the biggest festival of Bihar and is also central to life in Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and the Madhesh region of Nepal. With the migration of families from these regions, it is now celebrated in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Surat and almost every major Indian city, as well as abroad.

• Patna: The ghats of the Ganga are lined with lakhs of devotees for both arghyas.
• Delhi: Ghats along the Yamuna and hundreds of artificial ponds across the city. Delhi declares a holiday for Chhath in many years; check the 2027 list.
• Varanasi and eastern UP: Ghats along the Ganga and other rivers.
• Mumbai: Juhu beach and lakes across the city.
• Kolkata and Surat: Large gatherings on the Hooghly ghats in Kolkata and along the Tapi in Surat, both home to big communities from Bihar and eastern UP.

Chhath travel in 2027: plan early

The Diwali and Chhath season is one of the busiest for train travel in India, as millions of people head home to Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern UP. Indian Railways usually runs special trains every year for the festival.

In 2027, Diwali is on Friday 29 October and Chhath runs from 2 to 5 November, so many people will travel in the last week of October and stay through Chhath.

• Book early: Train bookings open 60 days in advance. For travel around 27 to 31 October, that means late August.
• Watch for special trains: Railways usually announce Chhath special trains in September and October.
• Return journey: Trains back to Delhi, Mumbai and other cities are also full in the days after Usha Arghya on 5 November.

Safety and clean ghats

Large crowds gather on riverbanks in the dark before sunrise and after sunset. Families should keep children close, avoid deep water, and follow the instructions of local authorities, who usually set up barricades, lighting and medical teams at major ghats. Many cities also build artificial ponds to reduce crowding and protect polluted rivers, and residents' groups clean ghats in the days before the festival.

Chhath abroad

Families from Bihar and eastern UP in the US, UK, the Gulf, Mauritius and other countries hold Chhath on lakes, beaches and in community ponds, often organised by Bihari and Bhojpuri associations. Check with your local association for the venue and timings.

See every festival of the year in our full festival calendar for 2027 and our Diwali 2027 guide.

From the first holy bath on 2 November to the last prayer to the rising sun on 5 November, Chhath 2027 will bring millions to the riverbanks. Book your travel early, carry warm clothes for the dawn arghya, and take care at the ghats.