Chhath Puja is one of the most disciplined and visually striking festivals in the Hindu calendar — a four-day fast and ritual cycle devoted to Surya, the Sun God, and Chhathi Maiya, observed with deep devotion by families from Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh, and today by Indian communities across the country and abroad. If you are preparing for Chhath at home this year, here is the verified 2026 schedule, the full samagri checklist, and a few notes on how incense, dhoop, and camphor fit into the home puja ghar during these four days.
Who Observes Chhath, and Why It's Different from Other Festivals
Chhath is unusual among major Hindu festivals in a few ways. There is no idol and no priest at the centre of it — the worship is directed at Surya, the sun itself, and at Chhathi Maiya, and the vrati (the person observing the fast) conducts the rituals personally rather than through an intermediary. It is also one of the few festivals where the setting sun is worshipped before the rising sun, a sequence meant to honour the full cycle of the sun's day rather than only its beginning. While it originated in Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh, Chhath is now observed widely by migrant communities across India and overseas, often with ghats specially prepared in city parks, lakes, or even temporary tanks when a river isn't nearby.
When Is Chhath Puja 2026?
Chhath falls on Kartik Shukla Shashthi every year, six days after Diwali. In 2026, the four days run as follows:
- Nahay Khay — Friday, 13 November 2026. The vrati bathes, often in a river or pond, and eats a simple sattvic meal before the fast begins.
- Kharna (Lohanda) — Saturday, 14 November 2026. A full day of fasting without water, broken in the evening with kheer-puri and jaggery prasad offered first to Surya.
- Sandhya Arghya — Sunday, 15 November 2026. The main evening offering, made standing in water at the ghat as the sun sets.
- Usha Arghya (Parana) — Monday, 16 November 2026. The closing morning offering to the rising sun, after which the 36-hour fast ends.
Because the arghya timings are tied to local sunrise and sunset, it is worth checking the exact times for your city rather than relying on a generic timetable, especially if you are travelling to a ghat.
The Complete Chhath Puja Samagri List
Samagri requirements vary a little by family and region, but most households work from a version of this list:
- Bamboo soop (winnowing tray) — usually two, for the offerings
- Bamboo daura (basket) to carry the samagri to the ghat
- Thekua, ideally homemade, in generous quantity
- Sugarcane stalks
- A whole banana branch, plus coconuts, oranges, apples, and chakotra (pomelo)
- Raw turmeric and ginger, with the leaves still attached
- Rice or til (sesame) laddus
- Ghee diyas and matchboxes
- New clothes — usually a dhoti for men and a saree for the vrati
- Vermilion, betel leaves and nuts, and a small amount of raw rice
- A lota and thali, traditionally brass or bronze rather than steel
- Ganga jal, where available, to purify the offerings
It helps to assemble the fruit, sugarcane, and cloth a day ahead of Nahay Khay, since markets near ghats get crowded as the festival approaches.
Incense, Dhoop & Camphor in the Home Puja Ghar
The rituals at the ghat itself are deliberately spare — fruit, diyas, and the arghya to the sun, without incense. But the four days of Chhath are also lived at home, where the puja ghar is usually kept lit and fragrant through the fast, particularly around the Kharna evening prasad and the daily aarti before and after each trip to the ghat. This is where dhoop, incense, and camphor earn their place, as part of the surrounding atmosphere of the vrat rather than the ghat ceremony itself.
A few ways households typically use them over the four days:
- Lighting Indian Sandalwood Dhoop Sticks in the puja ghar each morning and evening to keep the space calm and settled through the long hours of fasting.
- Burning a little Pure Singapore Loban (benzoin resin), a dhoop many Bihari and UP households already keep for everyday purification, around the Kharna prasad preparation.
- Keeping Bhimseni Camphor on hand for the aarti flame before the family leaves for the ghat and again on return.
None of this is a substitute for the actual arghya rituals, which follow family and regional tradition closely — think of it as simply keeping the home side of the vrat feeling as attentive as the riverside one.
Getting Your Home Ready for the Four Days
- Clean the puja ghar and the kitchen thoroughly before Nahay Khay — most families treat this as non-negotiable, since the following days leave little time for it.
- Keep dhoop, camphor, and matches stocked in advance; ghat visits happen before sunrise and after sunset, when shops are shut.
- Prepare the soop and daura a day early so the Sandhya Arghya morning isn't rushed.
- If elderly family members are observing the fast, keep the home puja ghar close to where they can rest between rituals.
The Chhath vrat is physically demanding — a 36-hour fast without water for part of it — and is traditionally undertaken with guidance from family elders or the local community rather than attempted casually for the first time alone.
A Few Common Questions
Can Chhath be observed without going to a ghat? Many families who live far from a river manage with a large tub or tank at home, or join a community ghat set up locally for the festival; what matters more than the exact water body is following the arghya timings and the vrat discipline.
Do men observe Chhath too, or only women? Both. While Chhath vrat is widely observed by women for family wellbeing, men take up the fast as well, and the rituals themselves don't distinguish by gender.
Is incense used during the actual arghya at the ghat? Generally no — the arghya itself is kept to fruit, diyas, and water. Dhoop and camphor are more a part of the home puja ghar through the four days, as described above, rather than the riverside ceremony.
Wishing everyone observing Chhath this year a peaceful and well-prepared vrat. You can browse our full range of dhoop sticks and Bhimseni camphor if you're stocking up for the festival.