Chhath Puja – Arghya to the Setting and Rising Sun

Like Navratri and Durga Puja, Chhath is one of the major Hindu festivals. In 2025, Chhath Puja will be celebrated on Monday, 27 October 2025. Hindus hold deep faith in this festival. It is now celebrated everywhere, but primarily in eastern India—Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh—and in the Terai regions of Nepal, people celebrate it with special enthusiasm. Chhath Puja mainly involves the worship of the Sun God. During this festival, devotees offer Arghya to the setting and rising sun. According to mythological beliefs, Chhath is the sister of the Sun God. Worshipping the Sun pleases Chhathi Maiya, who blesses families with peace, happiness, and prosperity.

27 October 2025 Kartik Chhath Puja – Special Significance

This festival of worshipping Lord Bhaskar is celebrated twice a year—on the sixth day of Shukla Paksha in Chaitra and Kartik months. Few people celebrate it in Chaitra, but the Kartik Shukla Shashti Chhath Puja is considered the main celebration. The four-day-long Kartik Chhath Puja holds special importance.

Reason for Chhath Puja

People mainly perform Chhath Puja to receive blessings from the Sun God. His blessings lead to good health and abundance at home. The ritual holds special importance for those wishing for children.

Who is Chhathi Maiya and How Did She Originate?

Chhathi Maiya is believed to be the sister of the Sun God. But according to the Chhath Vrat Katha, she is the daughter of God named Devasena. She introduces herself as originating from the sixth part of nature’s primal tendency. This is why she is called Shashthi. Those who perform this ritual properly with the desire for children get their wish fulfilled. This worship is prescribed for Kartik Shukla Shashti.

Mythological texts also associate it with Lord Rama worshipping the Sun with Sita after returning to Ayodhya during the Ramayana era.

Chhath Puja Lasts Four Days

Chhath lasts four days and involves strict discipline and rituals. People thoroughly clean their homes and surroundings before the festival.

Nahay-Khay

The first day is Nahay-Khay. It starts on Kartik Shukla Chaturthi. Devotees bathe and wear new clothes, then eat only vegetarian food. Traditionally, they eat bottle gourd curry with rice and dal. During this time, bottle gourd prices in the market rise significantly. On Nahay-Khay day, others eat only after the devotee has eaten.

Kharna

The second day is Kharna, observed on Kartik Shukla Panchami. Devotees fast all day without water and eat in the evening. This is called Kharna. They prepare kheer using jaggery and rice, which is also distributed as prasad. No salt or sugar is used. Only jaggery is used to make the kheer.

On the Day After Kharna, Prasad Is Made in Ghee

The day after Kharna, on Shashti, devotees prepare Chhath prasad. Thekua holds special significance. Thekua for Arghya is made entirely in ghee. People use mango wood to cook it. Mango wood is also available in the market. Rice laddus are also made.

Offer Arghya at Riverbanks

After preparing thekua and other prasad, fruits, sugarcane, and other items are arranged in bamboo baskets, called daura. After worshipping them at home, devotees go to ponds or riverbanks to offer Arghya to the Sun. On the first day, after bathing, they worship the setting sun and offer Arghya.

The next day, on Saptami, they worship the rising sun and offer Arghya. During this time, they also perform havan rituals at the riverbank and distribute prasad afterward.

Chhat Puja Date and Muhurat 2025

Chhath Puja 2025: 27 October 2025, Monday
Sunrise on Chhath Puja day: 06:42 AM
Sunset on Chhath Puja day: 06:05 PM
Shashti Tithi begins: 27 October 2025 at 06:04 AM
Shashti Tithi ends: 28 October 2025 at 07:59 AM