4 Days of Chhath Puja Are a Journey from Shadow to Salvation- Asking Us to Bow to the Sun with Undiminishing Faith
The divine celebration of Chhath Puja is a vow undertaken for surrender and rebirth. Every aspect of your celebration – be it an offering, a fast, or a moment of silence in the river’s embrace is an act of cosmic alignment for the self. Celebrated in devotion of Surya Dev (the Sun God) and Chhathi Maiya, this ancient festival originates from Bihar, Jharkhand, and Eastern India, but transcends religion. You can visualize this as a whisper between the human soul and the eternal source of light.
In 2025, Chhath Puja begins on Saturday, October 25, and concludes on Tuesday, October 28. Each day will bring you towards a new step towards light. Imagine each day’s rituals as a sacred step in a celestial journey. You start from darkness and move into illumination, while you go from purification to offering.
DAY 1 – Nahay-Khay (Saturday, October 25, 2025)
Nahay Khay refers to the cleansing of the body and mind. In this ritual, devotees take a holy dip in a clean body of water, which symbolises the purification of karma. After the dip, a simple sattvic meal is to be had, usually kaddu-bhaat (pumpkin, rice, and chana dal) cooked in bronze or earthen utensils.
This meal marks the beginning of the Chhath Puja vow (vrat) and is widely considered a consecrated offering.
Essentials:
- Ganga jal or clean water for bathing
- New clothes (preferably yellow or orange)
- Pumpkin, rice, and chana dal
- Copper or clay utensils
Ganesha’s Advice: Before sunset, remember to light a diya near the Tulsi plant or entrance of your abode, symbolically an invite to Surya Dev. Additionally, you can place a Surya Yantra or Crystal Shivling from the GaneshaSpeaks Store near your Puja space or altar for infusing divine energy and energizing your space.
DAY 2 – Kharna (Sunday, October 26, 2025)
A day of purification and complete fasting, the second day is when devotees abstain from food and water until the sun is set. This day is considered a rigorous test of discipline and surrender to faith. After the sun sets, disciples worship Chhathi Maiya and prepare kheer, gur (jaggery), and chapati as prasad. The prasad has to be offered to the Goddess first and then can be consumed after that.
Essentials:
- Gur (jaggery), rice, milk
- Ghee and earthen lamps
- Banana leaves for serving
- Clean space for evening puja
Ganesha’s Advice: Since the fast represents the scorching of impurities and is the ultimate connection between our devotion and divinity, this is the perfect time to receive blessings. Place a Rudraksha bead or Shiv-Parvati idol near your puja thali while reciting the Surya mantra “Om Hram Hreem Hraum Sah Suryaya Namah.” Your Kharna period will definitely be amplified by healing.
DAY 3 – Sandhya Arghya (Monday, October 27, 2025)
The most visually enchanting day of Chhath — devotees gather at riverbanks, ponds, or ghats to offer arghya (water offering) to the setting Sun. Standing knee-deep in water, holding bamboo baskets filled with fruits, sugarcane, thekua (holy sweet), diyas, and flowers — they express gratitude for sustenance, light, and life.
Essentials:
- Bamboo basket (daura)
- Sugarcane, coconuts, bananas, apples, thekua
- Earthen diyas, incense, camphor
- Water or milk for arghya
Ganesha’s Advice: Perform the evening ritual in silence: let gratitude replace words. Keep a Lakshmi-Ganesha silver coin or Chhathi Maiya idol near your offering. Light 6 diyas (symbolizing the 6 forms of Chhathi Maiya) and whisper your wish into the water — the Sun hears silent prayers first.
DAY 4 – Usha Arghya and Parana (Tuesday, October 28, 2025)
The final day is about renewal and rebirth. Before sunrise, devotees once again stand in water to offer arghya to the rising Sun. This act symbolizes awakening, gratitude, and the completion of one’s vow.
After the arghya, the fast is broken with prasad such as fruits, thekua, and rice laddoos, shared with family, neighbors, and devotees.
Essentials:
- Clean, pure water for arghya
- The same daura basket from the previous evening
- Prasad items (thekua, fruits, laddoos)
- Tulsi leaves and sandalwood paste
Spiritual Insight: The rising Sun represents rebirth. To stand before it in devotion is to stand reborn — emptied of ego, filled with faith.
GaneshaSpeaks Suggests: Keep your Surya Yantra, Sphatik Shivling, or Chhathi Maiya idol in your puja space after completion. These sacred items from the GaneshaSpeaks Store hold the energy of your worship — a reminder that light, once invited, never leaves.
Remember to cross check your Chhath Puja 2025 rituals with your personal timezone or Panchang. For more personalized insights into your cosmic destiny, as well as, discover your precise sunrise and sunset muhurat, along with Vedic remedies and divine yantras, reach out to our verified Vedic astrologers at GaneshaSpeaks.com. Let faith meet timing and watch the universe respond.