Chhath Puja 2025: Date, History, Importance, and Significance

Source: drikpanchang.com

Chhath Puja 2025: History and Significance behind the Four-Day Festival

Chhath, the four-day festival, does not include idolatry as devotees believe the sun’s powers are primarily derived from his wives, Usha and Pratyusha. (Photo: Express Image)

The festival is notably mentioned in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In the Ramayana, Sita is reported to have performed Surya Shashthi, or Chhath Puja, on the day Ramrajya was established; however, in the Mahabharata, Kunti (mother of the Pandavas) performed the puja on the banks of the Ganga after they fled from Lakshagrih.

According to drikpanchang.com, the first day of Chhath is known as Nahay Khay, and it is commemorated by taking a holy dip in a water body, particularly the Ganga. Women who mark Chhath eat only one meal on this day.

The second day of Chhath is known as Kharna, and it is marked by fasting without water from sunrise until sunset, which is broken immediately after sunset with a food offering made to the Sun God.

The third day, or main day, begins with fasting, which lasts all night. The fast begins after Prasad on the second day, when Arghya is offered to the setting sun, and lasts throughout the night. Parana is completed the following day, after sunrise.

The final day, Usha Arghya, represents new beginnings and hope. Devotees return to the ghats early in the morning to offer prayers to the rising sun, which signals the end of the fast, and is broken by taking prasad, which concludes the four-day observance.