Chhath Puja

Chhath Puja is a four-day-long festival celebrated in the Mithila region of Nepal as well as in parts of India. The festival is dated based on the local calendar, but it typically falls sometime in October or November on the Gregorian Calendar. In 2026, Chhath Puja falls on Sunday 15 November. The holiday will be on Thursday 4 November in 2027. Chhath Puja is a festival held for the worship of the sun, which is praised and thanked for “sustaining all life on earth.” The sun is also worshiped as the “giver of energy and life force” to all nature. Hindus in Nepal and elsewhere also view the sun as a source of healing, prosperity, and general well being. Thus, Chhath Puja involves rites to honour the sun in the hopes of him granting a long and healthy life to oneself and one’s loved ones. There are many rituals that take place during the four days of Chhath Puja, including holy baths, fasting, long periods of standing while worshiping the sun, and making offerings to the sun at sunrise and sunset.