Four-day Chhath festival begins in Bihar with Nahay Khay

Devotees arrive to offer prayers and take a holy dip in the Ganga River on 'Nahay Khay', the first day of Chhath Puja, in Patna on November 13, 2026.

Bihar’s famous Chhath festival began on Friday (November 13, 2026) with Nahay Khay on the first of four days of festivities. A large number of devotees gathered at ghats by rivers, including the Ganga, to collect water and bathe.

The festival is performed with piety and the strict observance of fasts to express gratitude to the Sun God for sustaining life on Earth. There are no formal rituals or priests present, and devotion is central to the prayers. The people of Purvanchal (eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand) celebrate Chhath Puja on a grand scale.

On the first day, all Chhath vratis (devotees holding fasts) bathe in the morning and offer prayers to the rising Sun before partaking in rice and pumpkin curry.

On the second day, Kharna, roti and kheer are cooked as prasad in the evening, followed by two continuous days of fasting.

On the third day, devotees offer arghya (obeisance) to the setting Sun at the ghats of rivers or temporary water bodies created by the State government, continuing their fast.

The Chhath festival this year will conclude on November 16 after devotees offer arghya to the rising Sun on the fourth day, marking the end of the fast.

Out of 103 ghats in Patna, 90 have been declared safe for devotees, while 13 have been declared unsafe this year.

Chhath Puja is also being celebrated in over a dozen parks in Patna, which already have fountains and water bodies, including Eco Park, Harding Park, Naveen Sinha Park, Lal Bahadur Shastri Park, AG Colony Park, Urja Park, CID Colony Park, and Lohia Nagar Park, and the lake at the Patna Zoo. They have undergone cleaning, and other improvements, including the provision of changing rooms, barricades, floodlit towers, and elaborate lighting installations.

“Heartfelt wishes to all fellow citizens on the start of the four-day sacred ritual of Chhath Mahaparv, a festival of popular faith and sun worship. Today is Nahay-Khay. I bow to all those observing the fast. My wish is that everyone receives the blessings of Chhathi Maiya,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on social media platform X.