Chhath Puja, being among the most holy and nature-focused Hindu festivals, is dedicated to Surya Dev (Sun God) and Chhathi Maiya, representing gratitude, purity, and worship. Celebrated primarily in Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Nepal, the festival represents the coexistence of human beings with nature, stressing clean living and self-control.
In 2025, Chhath Puja will be observed from Saturday, October 25 to Tuesday, October 28, 2025- for four days of pious rituals and sincere devotion.
Chhath Puja 2025: Date and Schedule
- Day 1 (Nahay Khay): Saturday, October 25, 2025- The festival starts with Nahay Khay, where the devotees perform a ceremonial bath in streams, ponds, or rivers for cleansing. They cook an uncomplicated satvik meal, which is usually a mixture of rice, pumpkin, and pulses cooked in ghee, onion- and garlic-free.
- Day 2 (Kharna): Sunday, October 26, 2025- On this day, the devotees keep a nirjala fast (without water) from dawn till dusk. After evening worship of the Sun and Chhathi Maiya, the fast is broken with gur-kheer (jaggery pudding) and roti prepared using ghee and wheat. This ritual is followed by a 36-hour-long continuous fasting without food or water.
- Day 3 (Sandhya Arghya): Monday, October 27, 2025- The most auspicious night of the Chhath festival, Sandhya Arghya, is when the devotees go to the river ghats to perform arghya (water oblation) for the dying sun. Baskets containing fruits, thekua (sweet wheat flour delicacy), sugarcane, and coconut are offered as a prayer. The scene of devotees standing in a queue in the river, singing traditional devotional songs, generates an atmosphere of devotion and oneness.
- Day 4 (Usha Arghya): Tuesday, October 28, 2025- The final day is devoted to the worship of the rising sun (Usha Arghya), representing new life, well-being, and prosperity. The morning prayers over, the followers end their fast (paran) with holy prasad, the culmination of four days of strict observance.
Chhath Puja 2025: Significance
Chhath Puja is not merely a religious ceremony but a celebration of nature and sun energy, the source of life par excellence. In mythological context, Chhath Puja was said to be followed by Draupadi and Pandavas to regain lost powers and kingdom, while ancient seers followed sun worship for cure and longevity. Paying obeisance to Chhathi Maiya, who is said to be an avatar of Goddess Usha, is said to grant families fertility, prosperity, and child protection.
Spiritually, Chhath is a process of solar detoxification and mental discipline that is said to boost immunity, purity, and concentration. It is also one of the only festivals that mandates complete abstinence, self-restraint, and cleanliness during the rituals.
Chhath Puja 2025: Ritual Practices and Offerings
The ceremonies entail rigorous fasting, bathing in sacred waters, offering pure offerings, and eschewing worldly indulgence. Clay diyas (lamps) are ignited at ghats, which stand for enlightenment and purity. Thekua, seasonal fruits, sugarcane, and coconuts are offered in bamboo baskets (soop) as symbols of devotion. Women, vratins, perform most ceremonies barefoot, which signifies humility and spiritual fortitude.
Chhath Puja 2025: Essence
Chhath Puja in 2025 remains to symbolise undying faith, nature consciousness, and home unity. A blend of austere discipline, worship with nature, and sincere devotion makes it one of India’s most original and sacred festivals, honouring the ageless bond between the Sun, Earth, and humanity.
