Chhath Puja 2026 in the USA: Dates 13 to 16 November, Sandhya and Usha Arghya Times for 10 Cities, and How to Keep Chhath Without a River

Quick answer: Chhath Puja 2026 in the USA runs from Friday 13 to Monday 16 November, the same four days as India. Sandhya Arghya is offered at sunset on Sunday 15 November (New York 4:38 PM) and Usha Arghya at sunrise on Monday 16 November (New York 6:44 AM). Every US city has its own sun times, so use the table below for yours.

Last updated: 10 October 2026. Dates and times are from the Drik Panchang Chhath calendar set to each US city. India's times never apply in the USA.

From Edison and Jersey City to Chicago's suburbs, Houston, Dallas, the Bay Area, Seattle and the Washington DC area, families with roots in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Nepal's Terai keep Chhath every year. Some gather at a lake or riverfront arranged by a local Chhath samiti; many more keep it in a backyard pool or a tub of clean water. This guide gives you the dates, Drik Panchang sunset and sunrise for ten cities, and practical advice for an American November. For the full ritual meaning, see our Chhath Puja 2026 complete guide.

Chhath Puja 2026 dates in the USA

Source: Drik Panchang Chhath calendar for New York City, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, San Jose, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, Washington DC and East Brunswick (Edison area). All ten show the same four dates as India (Drik, Patna and New Delhi).

Earlier versions of this page suggested that a strictly local US calendar might shift Sandhya Arghya to Saturday 14 November. Drik Panchang's 2026 calendar for US cities does not do this: it lists Sunday 15 November for Sandhya Arghya. If your samiti announces different dates, follow your samiti, but the Drik dates above are a sound default.

Sandhya and Usha Arghya times in 10 US cities

Sandhya Arghya is offered as the sun sets on Sunday 15 November; Usha Arghya as it rises on Monday 16 November. Times are local, from Drik Panchang for each city.

Arrive at the water at least 30 to 45 minutes early. The arghya is offered while the sun is still visible at dusk and as it appears at dawn, so the moment itself is short. If clouds hide the sun, families still offer arghya at the published time.

Kharna sunset on Saturday 14 November

The Kharna prasad is eaten after sunset on Saturday. Drik Panchang's sunset times that evening: New York 4:39 PM, Edison area 4:41 PM, Washington DC 4:55 PM, Atlanta 5:35 PM, Chicago 4:31 PM, Houston 5:26 PM, Dallas 5:26 PM, San Jose 4:58 PM, Los Angeles 4:50 PM and Seattle 4:34 PM.

What changes after the clocks fall back on 1 November

The USA returned to standard time on Sunday 1 November 2026, two weeks before Chhath. Sunset is now roughly an hour earlier by the clock than in late October. In practice this means:

• Sandhya Arghya on the East Coast and in the Midwest falls around 4:30 to 4:55 PM, so the Sunday ghat preparations start right after lunch.
• Usha Arghya is between about 6:30 and 7:15 AM in most cities. That is later than in India, which helps families with a long drive to a lake.
• Monday 16 November is a working and school day. Many families plan the morning arghya, a quick parana and then work or school, or take a day off.
• Texas and the South Atlantic states have sunsets after 5:15 PM, so their Sunday schedule is a little easier.

Where US families keep Chhath

There is no Ganga ghat in Edison or Plano, so American Chhath has adapted. The common options are:

• A lake or riverfront arranged by a samiti. Several US cities have community Chhath groups that book a permitted spot at a lake or park each year and share the timings. Search for the Chhath Puja samiti or Bihar association in your area and register early; we do not list venues because they change every year.
• A backyard inflatable pool or large tub. This is the most common choice. Fill it with clean water, set it where the sun can be seen low on the horizon, and build a small vedi beside it.
• A community hall or temple. Some Hindu temples host a Chhath gathering with a tank or pool. Check your temple's announcements in early November.
• Indoors, facing a window. When the weather is severe, some devotees offer arghya from a tub of water inside, facing the direction of the sun. Families accept this as a sincere substitute.

If you use a public lake or park, check the city or county rules first. Many parks need a permit for groups, and some do not allow lamps, open flames or leaving offerings in the water. Take every flower, peel and plate home with you.

Cold-water and safety tips for November

• Check the forecast for Sunday afternoon and Monday dawn. Water in northern lakes can be very cold by mid-November.
• Keep time standing in the water short. Many devotees stand only ankle or knee deep.
• Stay in warm clothes until the arghya and change into dry, warm clothes straight after.
• Never stand in deep or fast-moving water, and keep children supervised at all times.
• The nirjala fast is long. Elderly devotees, pregnant women and anyone with diabetes, heart or kidney conditions should talk to a doctor first. Many families let a younger member do the standing in water.
• Diyas near dry leaves are a fire risk. Use a metal plate or sand tray, and keep a bottle of water nearby.

The four days, step by step

Day 1, Friday 13 November: Nahay Khay

The vrati (the person keeping the fast) bathes, ideally in a river or lake; at home a bath with a little Ganga jal is common. The house and kitchen are cleaned. One meal is taken, cooked without onion or garlic, traditionally lauki (bottle gourd) with chana dal and rice. Many families use a separate stove or new utensils for Chhath cooking.

Day 2, Saturday 14 November: Lohanda and Kharna

The vrati fasts through the day. After sunset, kheer made with jaggery (rasiya), roti and banana are offered to Chhathi Maiya and then eaten by the vrati. This prasad is shared with the family and friends who come to the house. After Kharna the nirjala fast, without food or water, begins and lasts until Monday morning.

Day 3, Sunday 15 November: Sandhya Arghya

In the afternoon, thekua and other prasad are packed into bamboo baskets (soop and daura) with fruits, sugarcane, coconut and a diya. The family walks or drives to the water. As the sun sets, the vrati stands in the water and offers arghya, usually milk and water poured from a lota or the soop held up to the sun. Folk songs of Chhath are sung.

Day 4, Monday 16 November: Usha Arghya and Parana

The family returns to the water before dawn. The vrati offers arghya to the rising sun, prays for the family's health and wellbeing, and the prasad is distributed. The fast is then broken with prasad, ginger, water and a light meal.

A simple Surya mantra

Many devotees softly repeat a short mantra to Surya while offering arghya:

ॐ सूर्याय नमः॥

oṃ sūryāya namaḥ||

Meaning: "Om, salutations to Surya." Your family may use a longer prayer or Chhath songs in Bhojpuri, Maithili or Magahi; follow your own tradition. For more on offering water to the sun, see our guide to Surya arghya.

Prasad and samagri in the USA

Thekua (wheat flour, jaggery and ghee), kheer, sugarcane, bananas, coconut, seasonal fruit and a bamboo soop are the core items. Indian grocery stores in most metro areas carry jaggery, ghee and wheat flour all year, and some stock soop and sugarcane before Chhath. Order early, because demand peaks in the week after Diwali. If you cannot find a bamboo soop, many families use a brass or steel plate. For recipes, see our Chhath prasad recipes guide.

Planning around work and school

• Book Monday 16 November off early if you can; the morning arghya and parana take time.
• Make the thekua on Saturday after Kharna or on Sunday morning, before the long fast tires you.
• Share the ghat drive: one car for the vrati and the soop, others for family and supplies.
• If siblings are in India, remember India is 10.5 hours ahead of New York in November. Your Sunday morning is Sunday evening there, when they are at the ghat for Sandhya Arghya.

Chhath 2026 in other countries

Chhath falls on the same four days in the UK, Canada, Australia and the UAE, but in New Zealand Drik Panchang moves it a day later. See our guides for Chhath Puja in the UK, Canada, Australia and the UAE, Europe and New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius and South Africa. For India and Nepal, see the city-wise arghya times for Bihar, Jharkhand, UP and Delhi.

For other November dates in the USA, including Diwali week and Dev Uthani Ekadashi, see our November 2026 Hindu festivals calendar for the USA.

Frequently asked questions

When is Chhath Puja 2026 in the USA?

Drik Panchang gives the same four days as India for US cities: Nahay Khay on Friday 13 November, Lohanda and Kharna on Saturday 14, Sandhya Arghya on Sunday 15 and Usha Arghya with parana on Monday 16 November 2026.

What time is Sandhya Arghya in New York on 15 November 2026?

Drik Panchang gives sunset in New York City at 4:38 PM on Sunday 15 November. Usha Arghya is at sunrise on Monday 16 November, 6:44 AM. Offer arghya at your own city's times, not India's.

Is Chhath Puja 2026 a day earlier in the USA than in India?

No. Some US calendars move festivals by a day, but for Chhath 2026 Drik Panchang lists New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and other US cities on the same dates as India: Sandhya Arghya on Sunday 15 and Usha Arghya on Monday 16 November.

Why is the arghya so early in the afternoon?

US clocks fell back to standard time on Sunday 1 November 2026, and November days are short. Sunset is about 4:30 to 5:00 PM in the Northeast, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, so plan to be at the water by mid-afternoon.

Can I keep Chhath at home in the USA?

Yes. Many families stand in a clean inflatable pool or large tub in the backyard, garage or driveway, facing the sun, with the soop and diya set up beside it. The devotion and the timing matter more than the size of the water.

Is the water too cold for Chhath in November?

In much of the USA it can be. Keep time in the water short, wear warm layers until you step in, have towels and a heated car or room nearby, and avoid deep or fast water. Elderly devotees and those with health conditions should check with a doctor.

Editor's note (10 October 2026)

This guide was expanded and corrected on 10 October 2026. All dates and sunrise and sunset times are from Drik Panchang's Chhath calendar for each named US city. We do not list venues or events because they change every year; please confirm with your local Chhath samiti or temple. Family customs vary, and the tradition of your family comes first.

Related guides

• Chhath Puja 2026: dates, arghya timings and full vidhi
• Surya puja at home: a practical guide for NRIs
• Surya and Navagraha temples in the USA
• Bhai Dooj 2026 in the USA: Tuesday 10 November