CM Yogi Extends Chhath Mahaparv Greetings to UP
Synopsis
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's office greeted Uttar Pradesh on Chhath Mahaparv, honouring the four-day Sun-worship festival as a celebration of nature, discipline, and the spiritual power of women.
Key Takeaways
The Chief Minister's Office of Uttar Pradesh posted Chhath Mahaparv greetings on 15 November 2026 on behalf of CM Yogi Adityanath .
The message describes Chhath as an occasion to express gratitude toward nature, water, and Surya Dev .
It highlights devotion, purity, and discipline as the festival's core teachings.
Women ( Matrishakti ) are specifically called 'the greatest strength' of Chhath Mahaparv.
Chhath is a four-day Hindu festival observed widely in Bihar and Purvanchal, Uttar Pradesh .
On the occasion of Chhath Mahaparv, the Chief Minister's Office of Uttar Pradesh extended warm greetings to all devotees on behalf of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday, 15 November 2026, calling the festival a moment of gratitude toward nature, water, and the Sun God.
Posting in Hindi, the message read: 'जय छठी मइया!' ('Hail Chhathi Maiya!') — and offered 'heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to all brothers and sisters on Chhath Mahaparv.' The post described the festival as 'an opportunity to express gratitude toward nature, water, and Lord Surya,' adding that it imparts 'the lessons of devotion, purity, and discipline.' Notably, it singled out women as the festival's greatest strength: 'इस महापर्व की सबसे बड़ी शक्ति हमारी मातृशक्ति है' — 'the greatest power of this Mahaparv is our Matrishakti (women's strength).'
Chhath — a festival rooted in the Purvanchal heartland
Chhath Mahaparv is a four-day festival dedicated to Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya, observed primarily along riverbanks in Bihar and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh. Its rituals — fasting, standing waist-deep in water at sunrise and sunset, and offering arghya (water oblations) — are led overwhelmingly by women, which gives the Chief Minister's tribute to Matrishakti a pointed cultural resonance. The festival carries no temple-priest intermediary; it is a direct, austere communion between devotee and the elements.
Yogi Adityanath's festival outreach tradition
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in office since March 2017, has consistently used social platforms to mark major Hindu festivals as part of a broader cultural-outreach strategy across the Hindi heartland. For a state as vast and diverse as Uttar Pradesh — India's most populous — these messages serve as a bridge between the state capital Lucknow and the tens of millions of Purvanchali families for whom Chhath is among the year's most sacred days.
Point of View
Where Purvanchal commands enormous electoral weight, Yogi Adityanath's explicit salute to 'Matrishakti' on Chhath signals an ongoing effort to frame the BJP's cultural identity around both Hindu tradition and women's centrality within it. The choice to elevate women as the festival's 'greatest power' aligns with a broader political narrative that pairs religious celebration with gender-centric messaging. As rival parties also court Purvanchali voters, the symbolic stakes of such festival communications have only grown. Watch for similar high-visibility messaging around Makar Sankranti and other calendar anchors in the months ahead.
NationPress
15 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chhath Mahaparv?
Chhath Mahaparv is a four-day Hindu festival dedicated to Surya Dev (the Sun God) and Chhathi Maiya, observed primarily in Bihar and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh through riverbank rituals, strict fasting, and sunrise-sunset water oblations.
What did CM Yogi Adityanath say about Chhath 2026?
CM Yogi Adityanath, through the Chief Minister's Office of Uttar Pradesh, extended heartfelt greetings, calling Chhath an expression of gratitude toward nature, water, and Surya Dev, and describing women as the festival's greatest strength.
Why is Chhath important in Uttar Pradesh?
Chhath is especially significant in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh, home to tens of millions of devotees, making it one of the most widely observed festivals in the state alongside Bihar.
What does 'Matrishakti' mean in the context of Chhath?
'Matrishakti' means women's strength or power; CM Yogi's message highlighted that women are the driving spiritual force behind Chhath Mahaparv's rituals and observances.
When is Chhath Puja celebrated?
Chhath Puja is a four-day festival typically falling in the Hindu month of Kartik (October-November), centred on the setting and rising sun on the main Sandhya and Usha Arghya days.
