Chhath Puja 2025: Complete Four-Day Ritual Calendar, Timings & Significance

Chhath Puja is one of the most sacred and ancient festivals of India dedicated to the worship of Surya Dev (Sun God) and Chhathi Maiya. This four-day grand festival is celebrated in the Kartika month and is observed with immense devotion and enthusiasm, mainly in Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and the Terai regions of Nepal. This festival establishes a wonderful relationship between nature and devotion, where devotees express their reverence by offering arghya to the setting and rising sun.

The tradition of Chhath Puja has been passed down unchanged from mother to daughter through generations. This fast is extremely difficult with strict rules, in which devotees observe a thirty-six hour fast without water. Standing in the sacred waters of a river or pond and offering arghya to the sun is the specialty of this festival. This festival not only holds religious significance but also conveys the message of environmental protection and social harmony.

Chhath Puja 2025 Dates and Timings

This sacred festival of Chhath Puja will begin from October 28, 2025 and conclude on October 31, 2025. This four-day fast has its own special method and significance for each day.

Complete Date Schedule of Chhath Puja 2025

Day	Date	Ritual Name	Main Activities
First Day	October 28, 2025	Nahay Khay	Holy bath and satvik food
Second Day	October 29, 2025	Kharna	Nirjala fast and evening prasad
Third Day	October 30, 2025	Sandhya Arghya	Offering to setting sun
Fourth Day	October 31, 2025	Usha Arghya	Offering to rising sun and paran

The preparation for Chhath Puja begins immediately after Diwali. Devotees clean their homes, collect puja materials and mentally prepare for the difficult fast.

First Day: Nahay Khay (October 28, 2025)

The first day of Chhath Puja is known as Nahay Khay. On this day, devotees wake up before sunrise and bathe in the sacred river, pond or clean water at home. This bath symbolizes physical and mental purification.

Special Method of Nahay Khay

After bathing, devotees prepare completely satvik and pure food. The food on this day is extremely simple and prominently includes pumpkin curry, chana dal and rice. The use of onion, garlic and any kind of tamasic substances is prohibited in this meal.

Key Points of Nahay Khay Day

• Holy water bath mandatory before sunrise
• Complete cleaning and purification of the house
• Cooking food only in earthen pots
• All family members eat together
• Pumpkin, chana dal and rice are main items
• Use salt in moderate quantities
• Purify the mind and prepare for the upcoming fast

On this day, devotees thoroughly clean their house and engage in puja preparations. Maintaining sanctity in the home and bringing positive energy is the main objective of this day.

Spiritual Significance of Nahay Khay

Nahay Khay is not just a day of physical cleanliness but a symbol of mental purification and dedication to the fast. On this day, devotees take a vow that they will follow the fast with complete devotion and rules for four days.

Second Day: Kharna (October 29, 2025)

The second and most difficult day of Chhath Puja is known as Kharna. On this day, devotees observe a complete nirjala fast throughout the day, meaning they neither eat anything nor drink even a drop of water from sunrise to evening. This is a thirty-six hour nirjala fast which is considered extremely difficult.

Detailed Method of Kharna Fast

Time	Activity	Details
Morning	Fast begins	Nirjala fast starts from sunrise
All day	Fasting	Complete fast without water
Evening 5-6 PM	Prasad preparation	Kheer, roti and fruits
After sunset	Worship	Worship of Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya
Night 7-8 PM	Taking prasad	Breaking fast by eating kheer

In the evening after sunset, devotees prepare prasad of jaggery kheer, roti made in ghee and bananas. This prasad is first offered to Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya, then distributed among all family members. Devotees break their fast by consuming this prasad.

Special Ingredients of Kharna Prasad

Kharna prasad is prepared in an extremely sacred and special manner. It includes the following items:

• Jaggery Kheer: Sweet kheer made from rice, milk and jaggery
• Ghee Roti: Roti made in pure desi ghee
• Banana: Ripe yellow bananas
• Coconut: Dry coconut or coconut milk
• Sugarcane: Sweet sugarcane (optional)

Extreme purity is maintained while preparing Kharna prasad. The person preparing prasad should bathe and wear clean clothes. One should not talk while making prasad and should remember God with complete concentration.

Preparations After Kharna

After consuming Kharna prasad, devotees engage in preparing for the next day's Sandhya Arghya. This night devotees again go on nirjala fast which continues until Usha Arghya the next day.

Third Day: Sandhya Arghya (October 30, 2025)

The third day of Chhath Puja is the most important and grand. On this day, devotees fast without water all day and go to the river, pond or water source in the evening to offer arghya to the setting sun. This is the most spectacular and devotional day of Chhath Puja.

Detailed Preparation for Sandhya Arghya

Throughout the day, devotees prepare prasad and materials for arghya along with family members. Various types of fruits, thekua, rice laddus and other puja materials are arranged in a traditional bamboo basket or soop.

Essential Materials for Sandhya Arghya

Material	Quantity	Use
Thekua	20-25 pieces	Main prasad
Bananas	5-7 dozen	Fruit offering
Coconut	5-7 pieces	Puja material
Apples	1-2 kg	Fruit offering
Oranges	1-2 kg	Fruit offering
Sugarcane	5-7 stalks	Symbolic offering
Ginger	250 grams	Symbol of purity
Turmeric root	100 grams	For purification
Water chestnuts	500 grams	Water fruit
Earthen lamps	10-15	For light

Traditional Method of Offering Arghya

About an hour before sunset, the entire family reaches the river or pond bank. Devotees stand waist-deep in the sacred water facing the setting sun and offer arghya. Taking water, flowers, milk and akshat in both hands as an anjali, they offer it to Surya Dev.

At this time, traditional Chhath songs are sung which are extremely melodious and devotional. Songs like "Kelwa Je Pharela Ghavad Se" and "Pahile Pahar Ham Chhathi Maiya" make the entire atmosphere devotional.

Spiritual Significance of Sandhya Arghya

Offering arghya to the setting sun has deep spiritual and scientific significance. At sunset, the sun's rays are direct and less intense, which are beneficial for the body. Worshipping the sun at this time provides vitamin D and circulates positive energy in the body.

Points to Note During Sandhya Arghya

• Stand in water facing the sun
• Take water in both hands as anjali and offer arghya three times
• Recite mantra or prayer with each arghya
• Family members stand behind and pray
• Maintain purity and cleanliness throughout the process
• Keep prasad in a sacred place after arghya
• Maintain safety and purity of prasad all night

After Sandhya Arghya, devotees and family return home but the devotee's fast continues. They fast without water throughout the night.

Fourth Day: Usha Arghya and Paran (October 31, 2025)

The fourth and final day of Chhath Puja is known as Usha Arghya. On this day, devotees and family members reach the river or pond bank before sunrise. The fast is concluded by offering arghya to the rising sun.

Complete Method of Usha Arghya

Time	Activity	Details
Dawn 4-5 AM	Reaching ghat	Before sunrise
Sunrise	Arghya preparation	Arranging prasad and materials
Sunrise time	Usha Arghya	Offering to rising sun
After arghya	Chhathi Maiya worship	Special prayer and adoration
Morning 7-8 AM	Paran	Breaking fast with ginger and jaggery
Later	Prasad distribution	Distributing prasad to everyone

At sunrise, when the first ray of sun appears on the horizon, devotees standing in water offer arghya to the rising sun. This arghya is also given like Sandhya Arghya but its significance is special because it symbolizes a new day, new energy and new life.

Paran Method After Usha Arghya

After offering Usha Arghya, devotees pray to Chhathi Maiya and wish for the happiness and prosperity of their family. After this, devotees break their fast with ginger, jaggery and water either at the ghat or after returning home. This process is called paran.

Special Points During Paran

• First drink a little water
• Eat a piece of ginger and jaggery
• Gradually eat light food
• Do not eat heavy food immediately
• Consume some prasad
• Eat together with family
• Thank Chhathi Maiya

After paran, all family members and neighbors consume prasad together. This prasad is considered extremely sacred and consuming it fulfills all wishes.

Spiritual and Scientific Significance of Chhath Puja

Chhath Puja is not just a religious ritual but has deep spiritual, scientific and social significance. This festival is a wonderful confluence of nature worship, body purification and mental concentration.

Scientific Basis of Sun Worship

The sun is the basis of life and the source of all energy. The sun's rays contain abundant vitamin D which helps in bone development and strengthening the immune system. During Chhath Puja, worshipping the sun while standing in water at sunrise and sunset naturally provides the body with vitamin D.

Health Benefits of Chhath Puja

Benefit	Description	Effect
Vitamin D	From sun's rays	Bone strength
Fasting	Body cleansing	Elimination of toxins
Water therapy	Standing in river	Improvement in blood circulation
Mental peace	Meditation and prayer	Reduction in stress
Natural contact	River and sun	Increase in energy

Glory of Chhathi Maiya

Chhathi Maiya is considered the sister of Surya Dev and is worshipped as the protective goddess of children. It is believed that by the grace of Chhathi Maiya, one gets children and receives blessings of long life and healthy life for children. Devotees pray to Chhathi Maiya for the happiness and prosperity of their family and long life of children.

Purification of Body and Mind Through Chhath Fast

Observing nirjala fast during Chhath fast results in complete cleansing of the body. During fasting, toxic substances accumulated in the body come out and the digestive system gets rest. At the same time, mental concentration increases and spiritual power develops.

Message of Environmental Protection in Chhath Puja

In modern times, Chhath Puja also gives the message of environmental protection. Natural and biodegradable materials are used in this festival.

Eco-Friendly Chhath Puja Measures

• Do not use plastic: Use bamboo baskets, earthen lamps and leaf plates
• Cleaning river and pond: Clean water sources before and after puja
• Avoid chemical substances: Use natural colors and materials
• Proper disposal of prasad: Feed leftover prasad to animals or bury in soil
• Collective effort: Clean the ghat together with the community

Chhath Puja in Urban Areas

In big cities where there are no natural rivers or ponds, the administration builds artificial ponds and ghats. Chhath Puja is completed with full devotion at these places also. In some places, arghya is also offered by filling water in large vessels or tanks.

Important Preparations for Chhath Puja

Proper preparation is necessary in advance for the success of Chhath Puja. Devotees and family members should make the following preparations:

House Preparation

• Complete cleaning of the house
• Special cleaning of puja room or place
• Whitewash or clean walls
• Plaster floor with cow dung (in rural areas)
• Create separate space for puja materials

Shopping for Puja Materials

Material	Quantity	Use
Bamboo basket	2-3	For keeping prasad
Earthen lamps	15-20	For light
Sugarcane	5-7 pairs	For arghya
Bananas	5-7 dozen	Fruit offering
Coconut	7-9	Puja material
Flour	2-3 kg	For making thekua
Jaggery	1-2 kg	Thekua and kheer
Desi Ghee	500 grams	For making prasad

Method of Making Thekua

Thekua is the main prasad of Chhath Puja. Method of making it:

• Take wheat flour and sieve it
• Dissolve jaggery in water to make syrup
• Mix ghee, syrup and fennel in flour
• Knead the dough well
• Cut into small pieces and shape
• Fry in desi ghee until golden
• Store after cooling

Mental and Physical Preparation

Since Chhath fast is extremely difficult, devotees should prepare mentally and physically in advance:

• Eat light and satvik food one week before the fast
• Practice standing in water
• Do regular meditation and prayer
• Keep positive thoughts
• Ensure family support
• Get health check-up (especially elderly devotees)

Community Participation in Chhath Puja

Chhath Puja is not just a festival of one person or family but it is a festival of the entire community. On this occasion, all people make preparations together and help each other.

Community Activities

• Ghat cleaning: Everyone together cleans the river or pond ghat
• Lighting arrangement: Proper lighting is arranged at ghats
• Security arrangement: Volunteers maintain security and order
• Prasad distribution: Prasad is distributed to everyone
• Cultural programs: Chhath songs and bhajans are organized

Tradition of Chhath Songs

The traditional songs sung during Chhath Puja are the soul of this festival. These songs are extremely melodious and devotional. Some famous Chhath songs:

• Kelwa Je Pharela Ghavad Se
• Pahile Pahar Ham Chhathi Maiya
• Ugi He Suruj Dev Bhor Bhail
• Kaanch Hi Baans Ke Bahangiya
• Patna Se Chhathi Maiya Aaili

These songs are learned from grandmothers and continue through generations. These songs contain the glory of Chhathi Maiya, praise of Surya Dev and glorification of nature.

Rules and Precautions of Chhath Puja

Following some special rules in Chhath Puja is extremely necessary. Not following these rules makes the fast incomplete.

Important Rules

• Observe complete celibacy during the fast
• Do not consume any kind of tamasic food
• Sleep on the ground, do not use bed
• Maintain complete purity and cleanliness
• Avoid anger, jealousy and negative thoughts
• Do not fast if unwell
• Pregnant women should take doctor's advice

Precautions

• Avoid standing in water for long time if health problem exists
• Protect eyes from intense sun rays
• Take special care of children
• Keep assistant with elderly devotees
• Be careful of crowd at ghat
• Be aware of water depth

Frequently Asked Questions

When will Chhath Puja 2025 start? Chhath Puja will start from October 28, 2025 (Nahay Khay) and end on October 31, 2025 (Usha Arghya).

How many days is Chhath fast? Chhath fast is four days long, which includes Nahay Khay, Kharna, Sandhya Arghya and Usha Arghya.

What is eaten in Kharna? Jaggery kheer, roti made in ghee, banana and coconut are eaten in Kharna.

Which fruit is offered in Chhath Puja? Banana, coconut, apple orange, pomegranate, water chestnut and sugarcane are mainly offered in Chhath Puja.

Can men also observe Chhath fast? Yes, both women and men can observe Chhath fast, although it is mainly done by women.