Hindu festival · San Francisco Bay Area
Chhath Puja - Usha Arghya
Dates for the Bay Area
- Monday, 16 November 2026Major regional vratanext
- Thursday, 4 November 2027Major regional vrata
Why it matters
On Kārttika śukla saptamī the vratī returns to the water before sunrise and offers arghya to the rising sun, completing the vow. Families pray especially for their children's protection and for peace and well-being in the household.
Where it falls
The fourth and final Chhaṭh day (Kārttika śukla saptamī), closing the festival that began with Nahāy-Khāy; a second Chhaṭh is kept in the spring month of Caitra.
The story behind it
Chhaṭh is linked to several epic figures: Sītā keeping the vow after Rāma's return, Kuntī and her son Karṇa (himself a son of Sūrya), and Draupadī with the Pāṇḍavas. These stories belong to the festival as a whole and are often recalled as the vow closes.
Prayers and worship
Arghya is offered to Sūrya at sunrise from the water, with prayers to Chhaṭhī Maiyā; afterwards prasāda is distributed at the water's edge and to neighbours.
How families keep it
The fast ends after the dawn arghya with pāraṇa: the vratī first takes a little prasāda and water, then simple home-cooked food.
What is typically offered
Ṭhekuā, fruit and the other prasāda are offered with the dawn arghya and then shared with family and neighbours.
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 (6)
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 — Wikipedia
- Chhath Puja: A festival worshipping the Sun God (Incredible India) — Ministry of Tourism, Government of India
- Chhath Puja (Utsav portal; listing by Department of Tourism, Government of Bihar) — Ministry of Tourism, Government of India
- Four-day Chhath Puja begins today; know its origin, significance and symbolism (5 Nov 2024) — ETV Bharat
- Chhath Puja: Origin of the Festival, and the Story of Devasena (Shruti Chakraborty) — Sahapedia
- 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 - Usha Arghya — at your home, at a temple, or with family joining remotely. A request is an enquiry, not a booking.
Request a pooja Add 16 Nov 2026 to calendarKeep this in your calendar
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Subscribe to the festival calendar Share on WhatsAppThe 2026–27 dates were derived for the Fremont / Bay Area location from standard tithi, nakṣatra and solar-ingress rules. 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 →