Chhath Puja in Chicago

Date and timing in this city

In Chicago, Chhath Puja falls on Saturday 14 November 2026 and on Wednesday 3 November 2027. The observance is tied to Kartik Shukla Shashthi, the sixth tithi of the bright fortnight of Kartik, and is dedicated to Surya and Chhathi Maiya. Chicago keeps its own clock, America/Chicago, so the vrat is worked out for that time zone rather than for India.

The two anchor moments of the festival are the evening arghya at sunset and the morning arghya at sunrise the next day. Because these depend on the local Sun, the window in Chicago is not the same window being observed in Patna or Kathmandu at that same instant.

Why the date can differ from India

Chhath is a solar-and-lunar reckoning: the tithi is read alongside the local sunrise and sunset. Chicago sits many hours behind India, so when Shashthi begins in India, Chicago may still be on the previous civil date. The tithi is therefore matched to Chicago's own sunrise and sunset, and the fast, the arghya and the parana are kept according to that local reading.

This is why the Chicago date can land a day away from the date being observed in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Nepal. It is the same tithi, honoured at the local Sun. Families who follow a family priest or a particular panchang should keep to the date given there; where traditions differ, the local calculation and the family tradition are both treated as valid.

Where and how the community celebrates

Chhath is a sun-worship observance performed at rivers and other open water. In the diaspora, families gather at whatever water is reachable — a riverbank, a lakeshore, or a clean stretch of water arranged for the occasion — and offer arghya standing in or beside the water at sunset and again at sunrise.

The essentials travel well: a clean spot facing the Sun, water, the customary offerings, and the company of family and community. The outer form may be simpler than at home, but the vrat itself — the fast, the standing, the offering to the setting and rising Sun — is unchanged.

Practical tips

• Fix the date by Chicago sunrise and sunset, not by the Indian calendar page.
• Note that 14 November 2026 is a Saturday and 3 November 2027 a Wednesday; plan leave and travel around those days.
• November in Chicago is cold, especially at the sunrise arghya. Dress in warm layers and keep a dry change of clothes.
• Choose the water site in advance and confirm access and timing for both the evening and the morning arghya.
• If you follow a family priest or a specific panchang, let that guide your personal timings.
• For anything tied to your own chart, consult a qualified jyotishi.