look news india
The glory of Chhath (Chhath Puja 2026), the great festival of folk faith, strict abstinence and unparalleled purity that lasts for four days, is at its peak in the entire country. The second day of this great spiritual journey that began with the sacred ritual of Nahay-Khay is celebrated as ‘Kharna’, also known as ‘Lohanda’ in many major areas of Purvanchal, Bihar and Jharkhand. This year in 2026, Kharna is on Saturday, 14 November. After consuming satvik food on the first day, from the day of Kharna onwards, the discipline and penance of the fasting people completely turns into devotion and hard sadhana.
Special care is taken of purity and cleanliness in this ritual, which is performed from sunrise to sunset without consuming even a single drop of water. The traditions followed from morning till night on the day of Kharna and its strict rules further increase the grandeur of this festival.
The day of Kharna begins with the sacred peace of Brahma Muhurta. The fasting women and men (Vrati) wake up early in the morning before sunrise, take a bath and wear clean, new or washed clothes. After this, remembering Lord Surya Narayan and Chhathi Maiya, a resolution is taken for this difficult fast with full rituals.
After taking the resolution, the fasting person does not consume even a single drop of water, let alone food, for the entire day from sunrise to sunset. This strict day-long waterless fast prepares the body and mind of the devotee internally for the Mahasadhana that continues for the next two days.
The ritual of preparing the special and sacred Prasad of Kharna begins with the setting sun in the evening. The level of purity in Chhath Mahaparva is so high that any kind of impurity is not tolerated, hence this Prasad is not cooked at all in the everyday kitchen or gas stove of the house. For this, a new earthen stove is specially prepared and the Prasad is cooked on low flame of dry mango wood with complete purity.
As the main offering of Kharna, rice pudding made from fresh sugarcane juice or pure jaggery is prepared, which is called ‘Rasiyaav’ in the traditional folk language. Along with this Rasiyav, wheat flour rotis greased with pure desi ghee and seasonal fruits like banana, apple are decorated as Prasad.
After the Prasad is completely prepared, Rasiyava, Roti and fruits are arranged in new banana leaves or a clean plate and offered to Chhathi Maiya and Sun God in a clean and secluded room of the house. After the puja, the devotees themselves consume this Prasad.
The most unique, interesting and strict tradition of Kharna is that while the Vrati is eating the Prasad, pin-drop silence is maintained in the entire house. The devotees take Prasad in complete silence and during this time any kind of talking or loud noise is considered completely prohibited. With the acceptance of this Prasad, the historic 36-hour rigorous waterless fast of the devotees officially begins, after which they will consume food and water only after offering evening Arghya on 15th November and Arghya to the rising Sun on 16th November.
After the Vrati has consumed the Prasad, the remaining sacred Rasiyav and the roti Prasad is distributed with full devotion among all the family members, relatives from distant places and people from the neighborhood. It is a popular belief that this Prasad of Kharna is the blessing of Lord Surya and Chhathi Maiya, eating which brings happiness, peace, health and prosperity in the house.