Hindu festival · San Francisco Bay Area
Chhath Puja - Sandhya Arghya
Dates for the Bay Area
- Sunday, 15 November 2026Major regional vratanext
- Wednesday, 3 November 2027Major regional vrata
Why it matters
On Kārttika śukla ṣaṣṭhī, the sixth day that gives Chhaṭh its name, devotees offer arghya to the setting sun, which is unusual among Hindu observances. Families walk with the vratī to riverbanks and ponds, where the vratī stands in the water at sunset.
Where it falls
The third of the four Chhaṭh days (Kārttika śukla ṣaṣṭhī); follows Kharnā and precedes the dawn offering, Uṣā Arghya.
The story behind it
The story most often told of Chhaṭhī Maiyā concerns the childless King Priyavrata, whose stillborn son was revived by the goddess Ṣaṣṭhī (Devasenā); the king then began her worship, which tradition identifies with Chhaṭhī Maiyā.
Prayers and worship
Arghya is offered to Sūrya as the sun sets, with Chhaṭhī Maiyā worshipped alongside, and Chhaṭh folk songs are sung at the water and through the night. Some devotees make the journey to the river by repeated prostration.
How families keep it
The vratī continues the fast without food or water. Many families also perform the kosī rite: stalks of sugarcane are tied into a canopy over lit lamps and offerings.
What is typically offered
Bamboo baskets are filled with ṭhekuā (wheat, jaggery and ghee), kasār laḍḍū, sugarcane, coconut, bananas and other seasonal fruit, and raised towards the sun.
Visiting a temple that day
When held outdoors, respect water-edge safety, maintain silence during arghya and avoid obstructing the vratins. Temple practices vary by region and sampradaya. Dress modestly, remove footwear where required, follow priest/volunteer directions, ask before photography, and check the temple’s event page for exact pooja, fasting and prasādam arrangements.
Sources for this page (7)
The description above is this site’s own, researched from the sources below and written in our words; each section rests on at least two of them. It has not been reviewed by Sri Kumar Gurukkal, and it describes how families commonly keep the day — your family’s tradition comes first.
- Chhath Puja: A festival worshipping the Sun God (Incredible India) — Ministry of Tourism, Government of India
- Chhath Puja: Origin of the Festival, and the Story of Devasena (Shruti Chakraborty) — Sahapedia
- Chhath — Wikipedia
- Chhath Puja — Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Four-day Chhath Puja begins today; know its origin, significance and symbolism (5 Nov 2024) — ETV Bharat
- Chhath Puja (Utsav portal; listing by Department of Tourism, Government of Bihar) — Ministry of Tourism, Government of India
- Chhath Puja 2025: Significance, rituals, and dates (24 Oct 2025) — Deccan Herald
Request this pooja
Ask Sri Kumar Gurukkal about a pooja for Chhath Puja - Sandhya Arghya — at your home, at a temple, or with family joining remotely. A request is an enquiry, not a booking.
Request a pooja Add 15 Nov 2026 to calendarKeep this in your calendar
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Subscribe to the festival calendar Share on WhatsAppThe 2026–27 dates were compiled from a Northern-California Panchāṅgam reference for the Fremont / Bay Area location. The 2028 date is not published yet: its days are kept one after another, and in 2028 the tithis put two of them on the same Bay Area day, so how the sequence is kept that year is left to Sri Kumar Gurukkal rather than computed. It will be added once confirmed with Sri Kumar Gurukkal. They can differ from a calendar computed for another city or another sampradāya. Please confirm any date on which you plan a ceremony with Sri Kumar Gurukkal. How these dates are calculated →