Millions of devotees across Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and other parts of India are observing Kharna — also called Lohanda — on Saturday, 14 November, marking the second day of the four-day Chhath Puja festival. The day is defined by a strict day-long fast, ritual bathing, traditional food preparations, and evening prayers offered to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya. At its close, devotees begin the most rigorous phase of the festival: a 36-hour nirjala vrat, during which they abstain from both food and water.

What Happens on Kharna

Devotees, referred to as vratis, observe a full-day fast and undertake a ritual bath before beginning the evening's preparations. The centrepiece of Kharna is the preparation of a special prasad — jaggery-based kheer made from newly harvested rice and roti — cooked with strict attention to cleanliness and religious purity. Fruits and other seasonal offerings also form part of the spread.

What sets this prasad apart is the deliberate use of jaggery instead of refined sugar. In traditional Hindu practice, jaggery is considered a sattvic — or spiritually pure — ingredient, prepared directly from sugarcane juice, and is preferred in religious offerings for its perceived naturalness. The kheer is traditionally cooked in a new earthen pot over a clay stove, underscoring the festival's deep-rooted connection with nature and time-honoured customs.

After the evening prayers, the prasad is first offered to the deities. Vratis then consume it and distribute the remainder among family members and neighbours — a gesture that extends the festival's blessings to the wider community.

The 36-Hour Nirjala Fast Begins

Once the Kharna meal is consumed, the most demanding phase of Chhath Puja commences. Vratis undertake a 36-hour nirjala fast — abstaining completely from food and water — until the final morning worship on the fourth and last day of the festival, 16 November. The fast is considered a profound act of devotion and endurance, undertaken primarily to seek blessings for the health, happiness, and prosperity of family members, with particular emphasis on the well-being of children.

Notably, this level of fasting — without water across a full day and two nights — is among the most demanding in mainstream Hindu observance, placing Chhath in a distinct category compared to other major fasts in the religious calendar.

Religious Significance of Kharna

Kharna is not merely a preparatory ritual — it carries independent religious weight. Devotees believe that preparing the prasad with natural, unprocessed ingredients while maintaining complete devotion and physical cleanliness pleases Chhathi Maiya and the Sun God, ensuring their blessings for the household. The ritual has been practised across generations with little deviation, and the insistence on jaggery, earthen cookware, and an open flame remains unchanged even in urban households that otherwise use modern kitchens.

What Comes Next: Sandhya Arghya and Usha Arghya

The four-day Chhath festival runs from 13 to 16 November 2026. On the third day — Sunday, 15 November — vratis will gather at riverbanks, ponds, and water bodies to perform Sandhya Arghya, offering prayers and prasad to the setting Sun. On the final day, Monday, 16 November, devotees will rise before dawn for Usha Arghya, offering prayers to the rising Sun. The festival concludes with Parana, the formal breaking of the 36-hour fast after the morning rituals are complete.

As Chhath reaches its most sacred days, ghats and water bodies across the country are expected to draw enormous crowds — a reflection of the festival's growing footprint well beyond its Bihar heartland.