Chhath Puja Begins with Sacred Yamuna Baths as Delhi Women Observe ‘Nahay Khay’ Ritual

At the ghats in Delhi this morning, women lined up after taking a sacred dip in the Yamuna.

They carefully drew long, narrow streaks of orange vermillion using thin sticks, peeking into hand-held mirrors or the screens of their phones. It was the first day of the Chhath festival, known as Nahay Khay, and the air was filled with the quiet bustle of prayer and preparation.

The four-day festival began with this ritual bath, which is followed by a simple satvik meal eaten once after sunrise — the last meal before women begin their arduous fast in reverence to Lord Sun and Chhathi Maiya for the well-being of their families.

On Kharna, day two, a strict waterless fast is observed from sunrise to sunset. Traditionally, this is opened by offering a sweet dish like kheer (rice pudding) and fruits to the Sun God, which is then consumed as a special meal by ladies observing the Nirjala fast.

Sandhya Arghya, observed on day three of the festivities, is considered the most sacred and intensive part of the festival, which will fall on Monday, October 27. After a whole day of waterless fasting, the entire family gathers around the river banks to offer evening Arghya (offering) to the setting sun.

The Puja concludes on the fourth day, called Usha Arghya, where devotees return to the ghats before dawn to offer the morning Arghya to the rising sun. After this final offering to Sun, a nearly 36-hour fast is broken with Prasad and water, a ritual known as Parana, marking the completion of the Vrat.

Celebrated mainly in Bihar and Jharkhand, Chhath Puja fosters a strong sense of community and preserves a deep-rooted cultural heritage among devotees across the world.

Over the years, the festival has been observed with great fervour by the Purvanchali population in the national capital. But it has also become a recurring point of political contention over the cleanliness of the Yamuna — the city’s only river — which often draws criticism for the layers of toxic froth that appear on its surface, especially during the winter months.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government, led by Rekha Gupta, has made extensive preparations for the Purvanchali community — reopening closed ghats, conducting cleanliness drives, and carrying out repair work at nearly 1,300 sites across the national capital.

On Friday, the Chief Minister also announced a public holiday on Monday, the day of Sandhya Arghya, allowing all Delhi government employees to celebrate the festival with their loved ones.