An ancient festival of the sun, water and devotion

Origins and cultural significance

Chhath Puja is among the most ancient festivals still observed today. Its roots reach back to early Vedic traditions of sun worship, and over centuries it became a living expression of gratitude for the natural forces that sustain life. The festival is unusual in that it is not tied to a single temple or deity image — its offerings are made directly to the Sun and to the waters that carry them.

At its heart, Chhath is a vrata — a vow of discipline and purity. The four days of fasting, bathing, preparation and offering are undertaken with sincerity, and the festival is as much about personal devotion as it is about community gathering.

Worship of Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya

Chhath venerates Surya Dev — the Sun — as the source of all life, energy and light. Offerings are made at both sunset and sunrise, honouring the Sun's daily cycle. Alongside Surya Dev, devotees worship Chhathi Maiya, the goddess associated with the festival, who is regarded as a protector of children and families and a bestower of wellbeing.

The pairing of the Sun and Chhathi Maiya gives the festival its distinctive character: a celebration of nature's gifts, offered with the protective, nurturing presence of the goddess.

The regions where Chhath is rooted

Chhath is most strongly associated with the Terai–Madhesh region of Nepal, with deep traditions across Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh. In these regions the festival is a major communal occasion, with families gathering at riverbanks and lakes over all four days.

While the four-day structure is shared widely, the specific foods, songs, timings and customs vary between families, communities and regions. This platform respects that variation and describes practices in general terms rather than prescribing a single correct form.

The importance of nature, water and the sun

Water and the Sun are not merely the setting of Chhath — they are its central subjects. Offerings are made standing in a river, lake or other natural water body, at the moments of sunset and sunrise. The festival is, in this sense, an act of reverence for the natural world: for the water that sustains life and the light that powers it.

This connection to nature is one reason Chhath has endured. It asks devotees to step outside, to gather at the water's edge, and to mark the turning of the day with gratitude.

The four-day observance

Chhath unfolds over four days, each with its own meaning and practices:

• Nahay Khay — bathing and the first traditional meal, beginning the discipline.
• Kharna — preparing the prasad, after which the longer fast begins.
• Sandhya Arghya — the evening offering to the setting Sun at a water body.
• Usha Arghya — the dawn offering to the rising Sun, after which the fast is broken.

Chhath in the diaspora, including Australia

As communities from Nepal's Terai–Madhesh region, Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh have settled around the world, Chhath has travelled with them. In Australia, the festival is observed by growing diaspora communities in cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra, with gatherings organised around harbours, rivers, lakes and other water bodies.

The Australian observance carries the same spirit as the festival in its homelands — discipline, community and gratitude for the Sun and water — adapted to local places and seasons. This platform exists to help those communities find one another and to share verified information.