Four-day Chhath festival begins in Bihar with Nahay Khay

PATNA 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.