DigiNepal · festivals
Chhath Parva (छठ पर्व (Nepali, Maithili, Bhojpuri)). Region: Nepal (Madhesh, Terai, Kathmandu), India (Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Delhi). Tradition: Hindu. Calendar: Lunar (Kartik shukla 4 to 7). Dates: Nepal (Nahay Khay to Usha Arghya) 2026: Friday 13 November 2026 to Monday 16 November 2026 (BS 2083 Kartik 27; वि.सं. २०८३ २७) [computed]; Nepal (Nahay Khay to Usha Arghya) 2027: Tuesday 2 November 2027 to Friday 5 November 2027 (BS 2084 Kartik 17; वि.सं. २०८४ १७) [computed]; Nepal (Nahay Khay to Usha Arghya) 2028: Saturday 21 October 2028 to Tuesday 24 October 2028 (BS 2085 Kartik 5; वि.सं. २०८५ ५) [computed]; Nepal main day (Sandhya Arghya) 2026: Sunday 15 November 2026 (BS 2083 Kartik 29; वि.सं. २०८३ २९) [official, source NP]; Nepal main day (Sandhya Arghya) 2027: Thursday 4 November 2027 (BS 2084 Kartik 19; वि.सं. २०८४ १९) [official, source NP]; Nepal main day (Sandhya Arghya) 2028: Monday 23 October 2028 (BS 2085 Kartik 7; वि.सं. २०८५ ७) [official, source NP]; India main day (Sandhya Arghya) 2026: Sunday 15 November 2026 (BS 2083 Kartik 29; वि.सं. २०८३ २९) [computed]; India main day (Sandhya Arghya) 2027: Thursday 4 November 2027 (BS 2084 Kartik 19; वि.सं. २०८४ १९) [computed]; India main day (Sandhya Arghya) 2028: Monday 23 October 2028 (BS 2085 Kartik 7; वि.सं. २०८५ ७) [computed]. History and significance: Chhath is an ancient festival dedicated to Surya, the Sun god, and his consort Chhathi Maiya, observed six days after the new moon of Kartik. Devotees, mostly women, keep a strict fast of up to 36 hours without water and offer arghya to the setting sun and then to the rising sun while standing in rivers and ponds. The rite is linked in tradition to Sita and to Karna of the Mahabharata, and it is one of the few Vedic era sun rituals still practised at scale. It is a public holiday in Nepal and in several Indian states. Key rituals and foods: Nahay Khay (ritual bath and meal), Kharna (evening fast break with rice pudding), evening and dawn arghya at water bodies; foods include thekua, rice kheer, sugarcane and seasonal fruit in bamboo baskets. Date basis: official = matches a government gazetted holiday list; computed = calculated from the calendar system (tithi astronomy with skyfield and JPL DE421, Hijri Umm al-Qura, Chinese, Korean and Hebrew calendar libraries, or the fixed rule); expected = Umm al-Qura projection pending moon sighting. Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata (CC BY-SA, CC0) and government holiday lists, summarised in our own words.