What is Chhath Puja, and how do I explain it to my child?
Chhath Puja is a festival to thank Surya dev, the sun, and Chhathi Maiya for light, warmth, food and good health. Families stand in a river or pond and offer water, fruit and sweets to the setting sun one evening and the rising sun the next morning. In 2026, Chhath Puja is from 13 to 16 November.
Chhath Puja in one line for each age
- Ages 2–5: "On Chhath, we say thank you to the sun for giving us light and food."
- Ages 6–8: "Chhath is when families thank the sun and Chhathi Maiya. We take baskets of fruit and thekua to the river and pray as the sun sets and rises."
- Ages 9–10: "Chhath Puja falls six days after Diwali. It is one of the oldest ways of worshipping the sun, and those who keep the vrat fast for about 36 hours without even water."
Who do we pray to on Chhath?
We pray to Surya dev, the sun, who gives light and life to everything on earth. We also pray to Chhathi Maiya, a gentle mother goddess who is believed to protect children and bless families with health. Her name comes from shashthi, the sixth day of the bright half of the month of Kartik, when the festival's main evening falls.
The four days of Chhath Puja (2026)
| Day | 2026 date | What families do |
|---|---|---|
| Nahay Khay | Fri 13 Nov | Bathe in a river or at home, clean the house, and eat one simple, pure meal, often lauki (bottle gourd), chana dal and rice. |
| Kharna | Sat 14 Nov | Those keeping the vrat fast all day, then eat kheer made with jaggery and roti in the evening. Then the long fast begins. |
| Sandhya Arghya | Sun 15 Nov | Families go to the riverbank or pond and offer arghya, water and offerings, to the setting sun. |
| Usha Arghya | Mon 16 Nov | Before dawn, families return to the water and offer arghya to the rising sun. The fast ends after this. |
Sunrise and sunset times vary by city, so check your local panchang for arghya times.
Why do we pray to the setting sun?
This is a beautiful lesson for children. Most of the time, people celebrate beginnings. On Chhath, we thank the sun as it sets as well as when it rises. It teaches children to be grateful for what we have had, not only for what is coming.
The stories behind Chhath
Families often share these stories with children:
- Sita ji and Shri Ram: many families say that after returning to Ayodhya, Sita ji and Shri Ram fasted and prayed to the sun on this day.
- Karna: in the Mahabharata, Karna, the son of Surya dev, prayed to the sun every day standing in water, just as families do on Chhath.
- Draupadi and the Pandavas: in the Mahabharata, the Pandavas prayed to Surya dev in the forest, and he gave them the akshaya patra, a pot that never ran out of food.
Sources: Mahabharata, Vana Parva (the akshaya patra). The Sita ji and Karna links to Chhath are widely held traditions.
What goes in the Chhath basket?
Offerings are carried in a woven bamboo basket called a soop or daura. It usually holds thekua (a sweet made from wheat flour and jaggery), sugarcane, bananas, coconut, sweet lime, and a diya. Children love helping to arrange the basket.
How can children join in?
- Help make thekua and arrange the soop.
- Sing Chhath geet, the traditional folk songs, with the family.
- Hold a grown-up's hand at the ghat and watch the arghya.
- Children don't keep the fast. The vrat is kept by adults.
- Near water, a grown-up should always hold small children's hands.
Questions parents ask
Where is Chhath Puja celebrated? It is celebrated most of all in Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh, and in Nepal's Madhesh. Families from these regions celebrate it all over the world, often at lakes, beaches or even home tubs.
Is Chhath Puja the same as Diwali? No. Chhath comes six days after Diwali. Diwali celebrates Shri Ram and Lakshmi ji with lamps; Chhath thanks the sun and Chhathi Maiya with water and fruit.
Why is there no idol on Chhath? Because the sun itself is the deity, shining right in front of us. Families pray directly to the sun in the sky.
Hear it on Pratham Pranam
Find the Chhath Puja festival page, its story and an activity to do together, in Utsav on Pratham Pranam.