Chhath Puja explained
Chhath Puja is a four‑day fast dedicated to the Sun God/Chhathi Maiya that involves devotees standing in rivers and offering milk for health and prosperity. Social threads also circulated a detailed puja primer that outlines Achamana purification, panchopachara offerings (gandh, pushpa, etc.) and kshama prarthana forgiveness slokas. ( )
Chhath unfolds across four named days—Nahay Khay, Kharna (also called Lohanda), Sandhya Arghya (evening offering) and Usha Arghya (morning offering)—each day dedicated to a specific set of rites. (news18.com) Many devotees observe a strict nirjala fast that can last about 36 hours, and Kharna is the evening when prasad such as kheer and jaggery is prepared and distributed after the fast is temporarily broken. (news18.com) Achamana refers to the Vedic purification rite of ritually sipping water (often three times) before beginning puja, a preparatory act recorded in classical texts and used across Chhath observances to sanctify participants. (en.wikipedia.org) Panchopachara—the five-offering format used in many primers—names the specific items offered as gandha (fragrant paste), pushpa (flowers), dhupa (incense), dipa (lamp) and naivedya (food) to engage the five senses in worship. (blog.dharma-renaissance.org) Kshama prarthana is a formal forgiveness prayer set often included after purification rites in Chhath primers and is available in text and audio form online, with roots in traditions like Durga Saptashati recitation. (sanatan-dharm.com) Local calendars show Chaiti Chhath 2026 began on March 22 and ran over the standard four days, with timing guides and river-ghat gatherings reported across Bihar and neighbouring regions. (msn.com) The festival remains concentrated in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Nepal’s Terai while diaspora communities stage ghats and communal arghya in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kathmandu and abroad in the US and UK. (en.wikipedia.org)
