Chhath Puja: The Pride of Bihar-Jharkhand, Now Winning Hearts Across the World
By Abhishek Kumar
The festival that began as the pride of Bihar Jharkhand and Eastern Uttar Pradesh has now become a global symbol of Indian devotion Chhath Puja! This is not just a festival it’s an emotion a celebration of faith purity and gratitude towards nature. What was once a regional tradition has now captured hearts across the entire country and even among Indian communities abroad.
This year Chhath Puja 2025 was celebrated from October 25 to October 28 filling every corner of the nation with chants of Chhathi Maiya Ki Jai and the fragrance of Thekua and Kharna Prasad. The four-day-long festival is one of the most disciplined and toughest in Indian culture. It reflects unmatched devotion and endurance especially of women, who observe a 36-hour-long nirjala fast (without food or water) to thank the Sun God (Surya Devta) and seek blessings for their family’s health happiness and prosperity.
The festival begins with Naha Khay the first day where devotees take a holy bath and prepare pure vegetarian food. The second day known as Kharna marks the start of fasting devotees eat only once after sunset with offerings of jaggery kheer and fruits. The third day Sandhya Arghya is when thousands gather on riverbanks and ponds to offer prayers to the setting Sun an enchanting moment where the water glows with the reflection of countless diyas and devotion fills the air. Finally the festival concludes with Usha Arghya, the offering to the rising Sun on the fourth day marking the end of the tough yet divine fast.
From Patna’s Ganga Ghats to Delhi’s Yamuna banks and even in New York, London, and Dubai, devotees gathered this year to celebrate this ancient tradition with pride and emotion. The sight of women standing in water with folded hands eyes filled with tears of faith is something that touches every heart.
Truly Chhath Puja is not just Bihar’s identity anymore it’s India’s pride and now the world’s admiration Because wherever there is faith there is light and wherever there is Chhath there is devotion beyond boundaries.