📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka
Religion
Chhath Puja Commences with Nahay Khay Ritual as Devotees Ready for Four‑Day Festivities
✍️ The Hawk
🗓 13 Nov 2026, 05:01 PM
👁 14
The Hindu festival of Chhath began today with the traditional Nahay Khay ceremony, marking the start of a four‑day period of worship and fasting.
The sacred Hindu festival of Chhath opened its first day with the Nahay Khay ritual, where devotees take a ceremonial dip in water and then partake in a simple meal of rice, curd and fruits. This rite signals the commencement of a four‑day sequence of prayers, fasting and offerings to the Sun God.
Devotees gathered along riverbanks and ghats, arranging bamboo mats, earthen pots and traditional offerings such as Thekua, sugarcane and seasonal fruits. Families and community groups performed collective prayers, singing folk hymns that echo the ancient customs of the region.
Over the next three days, worshippers will observe a strict fast, offer arghya to the rising and setting sun, and conclude the festival with a final evening ceremony. The observance, deeply rooted in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and neighboring states, underscores gratitude for harvests and seeks blessings for health and prosperity.
Devotees gathered along riverbanks and ghats, arranging bamboo mats, earthen pots and traditional offerings such as Thekua, sugarcane and seasonal fruits. Families and community groups performed collective prayers, singing folk hymns that echo the ancient customs of the region.
Over the next three days, worshippers will observe a strict fast, offer arghya to the rising and setting sun, and conclude the festival with a final evening ceremony. The observance, deeply rooted in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and neighboring states, underscores gratitude for harvests and seeks blessings for health and prosperity.