Next: 15 to 16 Nov 2026
Chhath
Yellow and orange saris at the river’s edge, a long line of orange sindoor, and offerings held up to the setting and rising sun.
The colours of Chhath
Chhath is the festival of the sun, kept above all in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and the plains of Nepal. Those who keep the fast, mostly women, stand waist-deep in a river or pond and offer water and fruit to the setting sun, and again to the rising sun next morning. They dress in the sun's colours: cotton saris of yellow, orange or red, never black. Married women wear orange sindoor in a long line from the hair parting down to the tip of the nose; the longer the line, it is said, the longer the husband's life. Offerings are carried in baskets and winnowing trays of split yellow bamboo, with sugarcane, bananas, coconuts and small clay lamps.
#F47B20Sun orangeThe setting and rising sun; the long line of sindoor.#F7C61BSari yellowCotton saris worn into the water.#D9B25ABambooBaskets and trays that hold the offerings.#6B8E3ASugarcane greenCane stalks stood over the offerings.#7C8FA8Dawn riverThe water at first light.Values are fair approximations, not official shades.
Read about the colours
Also part of it, and being written: Orange (The sun.).
Written by the Rang desk with AI assistance. Background: "Chhath" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from family to family and place to place. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.