Hindu festivals · Surya Shashthi, Dala Chhath

Chhath Puja 2026: dates and arghya times

Chhath is a four day festival of the Sun and Chhathi Maiya, ending on the Shashthi and Saptami of Kartik Shukla paksha, six days after Diwali. Its centre is the offering (arghya) to the setting and the rising Sun.

Next date: Sunday, 15 Nov 2026

Chhath Puja timings

Detail	2026	2027
Date	Sunday, 15 Nov 2026	Thursday, 4 Nov 2027
Shukla Shashthi tithi begins	14 Nov, 11:24 pm	3 Nov, 7:33 pm
Shukla Shashthi tithi ends	16 Nov, 2:01 am	4 Nov, 9:39 pm
Sunrise in Nagpur	6:24 am	6:17 am
Sandhya arghya (sunset)	5:32 pm	5:36 pm
Usha arghya (sunrise next day)	6:24 am (16 Nov)	6:18 am (5 Nov)

The days of Chhath Puja

Day	2026	2027
Nahay Khay	Friday, 13 Nov 2026	Tuesday, 2 Nov 2027
Kharna	Saturday, 14 Nov 2026	Wednesday, 3 Nov 2027
Chhath Puja	Sunday, 15 Nov 2026	Thursday, 4 Nov 2027
Usha Arghya	Monday, 16 Nov 2026	Friday, 5 Nov 2027

All times are IST. Tithi times hold for all of India; sunrise, sunset, moonrise and the muhurat windows are for Nagpur, in the North and Central Indian (purnimanta) tradition, and shift by a few minutes in other cities.

How it is commonly observed

Day 1, Nahay Khay: a bath and a simple sattvik meal.
Day 2, Kharna: a day fast ended in the evening with kheer and roti; then a long fast without water begins for many.
Day 3: the evening arghya to the setting Sun, standing in water at a river, pond or ghat.
Day 4: the morning arghya to the rising Sun, after which the fast is broken.

Where regions differ

Chhath is kept mainly in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and the Nepal Terai, and by families from these regions across India. A smaller Chaiti Chhath falls in Chaitra.

All the regional calendars on this site that list it give the same date in 2026.

How the date is worked out

The rule: the day when the tithi runs at sunrise. When two days qualify, the one where the tithi covers more of that window; when none does, the day the tithi begins. The Sun and Moon positions are computed for each year (sidereal, Lahiri ayanamsa), so the dates are not copied from a printed list.

Questions about Chhath Puja

When is Chhath Puja in 2026?

Chhath Puja 2026 is on Sunday, 15 Nov 2026, and in 2027 on Thursday, 4 Nov 2027. The dates are worked out for Nagpur in the North and Central Indian tradition; the table above gives the tithi and muhurat times.

At what time is the arghya given?

The evening arghya is given at sunset on Shashthi and the morning arghya at sunrise on Saptami. The table gives those times for Nagpur; sunrise and sunset differ by a few minutes in other cities.

Is the Chhath fast without water?

Many vratis keep a nirjala fast from Kharna evening to the morning arghya. It is a demanding fast, so anyone with a health condition should check with a doctor first.

Why does another calendar show a different date?

A tithi begins and ends at the same moment all over India, but the festival day depends on the part of the day the tradition looks at (sunrise, midday, evening or midnight) and on the sunrise of the city. A panchang for another city or tradition can therefore differ by a day. Follow the one your family uses.