Chhath Puja 2023: Date, History, Significance, and Rituals

Chhath Puja 2023 is all set to be observed from 17th November 2023 to 20th November 2023 (17 November- नहाय खाय, 18 November- खरना, 19 November- सन्ध्या अर्घ्य, and 20 November- उषा अर्घ्य, पारण). We wish you a very happy Chhath Puja 2023.

Chhath Puja is a festival of Hindus that is celebrated for four days with great devotion. It is observed as a major festival in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh and is also celebrated in Nepal.

On the occasion of Chhath Puja, Surya Deva and Chhathi Maiya are worshiped and their blessings are sought in the form of good fortune, long life and happiness of one’s family, especially children.

Chhath Puja 2023 Overview

Is Chhath Puja celebrated in Shukla Paksha?

Chhath Puja is also known as Surya Shashthi as is celebrated on the sixth day of Shukla Paksha in Kartik month as per the Hindu lunar calendar.

It falls on the sixth day of the festival of Diwali. According to the Gregorian calendar, it is usually observed in the month of October or November.

Story related with Chhath Puja

On the occasion of Chhath Puja, devotees worship Lord Sun and Chhathi Maiya for the well-being of their children. There is also a story in this context as mentioned in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana.

As per the legend, once upon a time there was a king named Priyavrata who was the eldest son of Swayambhuva Manu. King Pariyavrata lived a prosperous life with his wife and had evrything in abundance.

However, the thing that made the king and his wife very sad was that they had no children. Watching the sorrowful king, Maharishi Kashyap asked him to perform a yajna for a son.

The king performed the yajna and a son was born to his wife, but sadly the baby was born dead. King, queen and other family members started repenting this but suddenly the king saw a Goddess sitting on a craft in the sky.

She introduced herself as Goddess Shashthi, the manas daughter of Lord Brahma and said that she is the one who blesses childless couples with child and is also the protector of all the children on the earth.

King Pariyavrata prayed to her and requested her to give his son back his life. The goddess agreed and the lifeless child was alive again by her grace. It is believed that praying to Goddess blesses the children of the devotees and therefore this festival is celebrated with great devotion.

Chhath Puja Rituals

The Chhath Puja festival is celebrated for four days and consists of various rituals, all of which are followed with utmost devotion and strictness.

Different rituals are followed on four days of this festival that includes holy bath, fasting, preparing prasad, offering homage to the Sun (setting and rising both) and others. The rituals followed on different days of Chhath Puja are further discussed below.

Days of Chhath Puja 2023 Festival

Chhath Puja festival that lasts for four days begins on the day of Kartik Shukla Chaturthi and ends on Kartik Shukla Saptami. The four days of the festival are observed as follows-

1. Nahaye Khaye- First day of Chhath Puja is Nahaye Khaye. On this day, devotees take a holy bath, clean their house and prepare and present food to the God. After offering to God, the food is ten eaten by the devotees.
2. Kharna– Kharna is the second day of Chhath Puja. On this day, devotees observe a fast and abstain from even drinking a single drop of water. When evening comes, the devotees prepare jaggery kheer and chapati full of ghee and eat it as prasad.
3. Sandhya Arghya– Arghya is offered to the setting sun on the third day of the festival. Devotees decorate a bamboo basket and fill it with fruits, thekua and rice laddus, which is first offered to the Surya Dev and is then kept to be offered as prasad the next day.
4. Usha Arghya- On the last day of Chhath Puja, arghya is offered to the rising sun and blessings are sought for the happiness of children. Devotees break their fast after the Usha Arghya by eating prasad, called as Parana. Prasad is then distributed among family members and others as well.

Frequently Asked Questions