Chhath Puja
what is eaten, and how to hold it
छठ पूजाChhath Puja
The sixth day after Diwali, in Kartik — usually late October or November.
SOURCE·Published accounts of Chhath Puja as commonly observed·customs differ by family, region and sampradaya·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How long Chhath Puja runs
≈ 36hours
Approximate, as the dataset states it. The exact length turns on your date and where you are. The 36-hour nirjala fast. A four-day observance. The central fast is a nirjala vrat of roughly 36 hours, from the Kharna meal on the evening of the second day until the morning arghya on the fourth.
As the dataset states it: About 36 hours without food or water for the main fast, held across two nights.
SOURCE·Published vrat traditions + IFCT 2017·Chhath Puja entry·REVIEWED JUL 2026
What Chhath Puja is
Chhath is observed mainly in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Nepal, dedicated to Surya and Chhathi Maiya. It runs over four days — Nahay Khay, Kharna, Sandhya Arghya and Usha Arghya — and the vratis who keep it hold a nirjala fast of roughly 36 hours across the middle of it.
Thirty-six hours without water, including two evenings standing in cold river or pond water for arghya, is the most physically demanding observance covered on this site alongside Nirjala Ekadashi. The devotion involved is not in question. What is worth being specific about is who is at real risk and what the warning signs are.
Customs vary. Chhath practice is closely held and highly specific — the order of the days, the prasad, who may prepare it and how, differ by family and are usually taught rather than read. Nothing here should be taken as instruction on how to keep it.
How this entry is drawn, and how the food is counted
- The observance is read from published accounts of Chhath Puja and written as commonly observed — never as required, never as correct. Where households differ, the entry says they differ.
- The arc above places the observed span between named stations of the day — sunrise, midday, sunset, moonrise — and never between times. Sehri, iftar, moonrise and sunset are local and religiously significant, and this site publishes none of them.
- The length is taken from the range the dataset itself states, as a range. Where the length turns on latitude and season, no duration is printed at all.
- Food energy is per the serving each item is really eaten in, from IFCT 2017 (ICMR–NIN) where the table has the food, and from a named alternative where it does not.
- Every food is reconciled against Atwater factors on each build, and a page that fails to reconcile does not ship.
serving kcal = per-100 g kcal × (serving g ÷ 100) energy check = 4·protein + 4·carbohydrate + 9·fat (±15%, ±20% high-fibre) day shape = observed span, station → station (no clock times, ever)
What is customarily eaten, and what is set aside
Described as commonly observed. Your own family's practice is the one that applies.
Commonly eaten
- Nahay Khay: a satvik meal, customarily lauki sabzi with rice and chana dal
- Kharna: the evening meal that begins the fast — customarily rasiao-kheer made with jaggery, roti and fruit
- Nothing at all, food or water, for roughly 36 hours after Kharna
- The fast is broken after the morning arghya on the fourth day, with prasad — thekua, fruit and ginger
Customarily set aside
- Food and water entirely during the 36-hour fast
- Onion, garlic, meat, fish, eggs and alcohol through all four days
- Table salt is used sparingly; sendha namak is customary in some households
SOURCE·Published accounts of Chhath Puja·reported, not prescribed; regional practice varies and the variation is the practice·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The food, with the numbers
Foods commonly associated with Chhath Puja, at the serving each is really eaten in. Every one has its own page with the full breakdown.
| Food | One serving is | Calories | Protein | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaggery (Gur) | 1 small piece · 20 g | 77 kcal | 0.1 g | 19.0 g |
| Banana | 1 medium banana · 100 g | 105 kcal | 1.3 g | 24.0 g |
| Fresh Coconut (Nariyal) | 1 piece · 30 g | 107 kcal | 1.1 g | 3.0 g |
| Cow Milk (full cream) | 1 glass · 200 g | 124 kcal | 6.4 g | 9.0 g |
| Boiled Sweet Potato (Shakarkandi) | 1 medium · 150 g | 164 kcal | 2.0 g | 36.5 g |
| Dates (Khajoor) | 2 dates · 16 g | 46 kcal | 0.4 g | 10.9 g |
| Plain Water | 1 glass · 250 g | 0 kcal | 0.0 g | 0.0 g |
| Bottle Gourd (Lauki), cooked plain | 1 katori · 150 g | 17 kcal | 0.8 g | 2.6 g |
| Orange (Santra) | 1 medium orange · 130 g | 48 kcal | 0.9 g | 10.3 g |
One serving of each of these 9 items would come to about 687 kcal — a scale check, not a menu. Chhath Puja is not a calorie target and this table is not a plan.
What the vrat foods cost, counted per serving rather than per 100 g.
SOURCE·Published vrat traditions + IFCT 2017·per stated serving weight·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How to hold it without wrecking the week
This is the part nobody publishes well. None of it asks you to change the observance — training, sleep and meal timing are the variables you control, and the fast is not.
Training
There is no version of this where training during the 36 hours is a good idea, and the ghat itself involves hours of standing, walking and cold-water immersion, which is a substantial physical load on its own. Treat the whole four days as a rest block and resume afterwards.
Sleep
Two nights are heavily disrupted — the night after Kharna and the night before the morning arghya, which begins before dawn. Sleeping properly in the days before Chhath is the only real preparation available.
Blood sugar
A 36-hour dry fast is not appropriate for most people on insulin or sulfonylureas without specific medical planning, and in many cases not at all. This is the single most important sentence on this page. Speak to your doctor well before Chhath, not during it.
Hydration
The Kharna meal is the last fluid for a day and a half, which makes what precedes it matter: normal fluid intake through Nahay Khay and the day of Kharna, and not starting the fast already short. Afterwards, rehydrate over hours.
The specific risk with Chhath Puja
The specific hazards of Chhath are dehydration over 36 hours, cold-water immersion at dawn and dusk in November, and long periods standing. Fainting at the ghat is common enough to plan for: go with someone, tell them you are fasting, and sit down at the first sign of dizziness. Confusion, chest pain, an inability to stand, or collapse need medical help immediately.
Who should not fast · Fasting and blood sugar · Hydration during fasting · Sources
Questions asked about Chhath Puja
How long is the Chhath fast?
The main nirjala fast runs roughly 36 hours — from the Kharna meal on the evening of the second day until after the morning arghya on the fourth. The full observance spans four days.
Can someone with diabetes keep Chhath?
That is a decision for the person, their family and their doctor together — and it is a conversation to have weeks in advance. A 36-hour fast without fluid is a serious matter for anyone on glucose-lowering medication, and there are recognised ways families accommodate someone who cannot keep the full form.
What is Kharna?
The evening meal on the second day that begins the nirjala fast — customarily rasiao-kheer made with jaggery and rice, roti and fruit, eaten after the day's fast and offered as prasad.
Related observances
SOURCE·Published vrat traditions + IFCT 2017·observance accounts and food composition·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Practices are described as commonly observed; customs differ by family, region, community and sampradaya, and this site is not an authority on any of them. Food values come from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR–NIN), the older ICMR–NIN tables, USDA FoodData Central, named composition studies and the shared ThaliFacts dataset, reconciled against Atwater factors on every build. Which source applies to which food is listed per food, and every source carries the date it was last checked. General information only — not medical or religious guidance. Fasting is not safe for everyone, particularly during pregnancy or with diabetes or other conditions. Speak to a doctor first.
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