Chhath is one of northern India's most visually striking devotional traditions.
Devotees gather beside rivers, ponds and other bodies of water to offer prayers to the Sun. Both the setting sun and rising sun are honored.
Four Days of Devotion
Day 1 — Nahay Khay: Ritual bath and simple meal.
Day 2 — Kharna: Fasting from dawn to dusk; evening meal (kheer with jaggery).
Day 3 — Sandhya Arghya: Evening offering to the setting Sun beside water.
Day 4 — Usha Arghya: Morning offering to the rising Sun; break of the fast.
Migration and the Modern Chhath
Participants may undertake demanding fasting and purification practices.
As millions of people from Bihar and neighboring regions migrated to cities across India and abroad, Chhath traveled with them.
Today, Chhath is celebrated on the banks of the Yamuna in Delhi, in Mumbai's Juhu Beach and in cities across the Indian diaspora.