Chhath Puja

Chhath Puja (also known as Surya Shashti, Chhathi, Dala Chhath, or Mahaparv) is an ancient, rigorous 4-day Vedic festival celebrated primarily in Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and the Madhesh region of Nepal, as well as globally across the Indian diaspora. Falling on Shukla Paksha Shashthi of the Kartika month, it is unique in Hinduism for being the only festival where prayers and Arghya are offered to both the setting Sun (Sandhya Arghya) and the rising Sun (Usha Arghya).

The 4-day observance comprises: Day 1: Nahay-Khay (purification bath and satvik meal of kaddu-bhat); Day 2: Kharna (day-long fast culminating in evening jaggery kheer prasad); Day 3: Sandhya Arghya (standing chest-deep in holy rivers offering bamboo soop baskets filled with Thekua, sugarcane, and fruits to the setting sun); Day 4: Usha Arghya (dawn offerings to the rising sun, followed by breaking the 36-hour waterless fast).