Chhath Puja 2026 in Lodi: Events, Puja & Where to Celebrate

TL;DR

• Chhath Puja 2026 runs November 13–16; the pivotal sunset offering (Sandhya Arghya) falls the evening of November 15 and the sunrise offering (Usha Arghya) wraps the festival at dawn on November 16. 🙏
• The festival honors Surya and Chhathi Maiya through a 36-hour fast, folk songs called Chhath geets, and collective puja at a water body — Lodi Lake Park is a natural gathering site.
• The Stockton Hindu Cultural and Community Center (SHCCC), which consecrated its Shiva Vishnu Temple in February 2022, is the closest organized Hindu hub serving the Central Valley.
• Lodi's Indian restaurants — including Indian Curry and Grill, Indian Flavors Cuisine, and Friends Indian Restaurant — carry the prasad items and sweets the festival demands.
• Rice and Spice, a halal Indian and South Asian grocery on South Hutchins Street, stocks specialty flours, dry fruits, and regional products that round out the puja pantry.

Why Chhath Puja Matters to Lodi's South Asian Community

Chhath Puja is not Diwali's quieter cousin. It is one of the most demanding festivals in the Hindu calendar — a four-day observance that asks devotees to forgo food and water for up to 36 hours, stand knee-deep in a river or lake at the precise moment the sun touches the horizon, and offer arghya (water and milk poured from a brass vessel) to the setting and then the rising sun. The discipline, the community solidarity, and the sheer visual spectacle of thousands silhouetted against a painted sky make it unforgettable for anyone who has witnessed it.

The diaspora rooted in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Nepal carries Chhath Puja wherever it settles. California's Central Valley holds a growing number of families from these states — many arrived through the agricultural sector and others through healthcare and technology industries anchoring cities from Stockton to Sacramento. In Lodi, that community is woven into daily life even if it stays relatively small in absolute numbers. What it lacks in size, it compensates in devotion.

In 2026 the festival unfolds across four days:

• November 13 (Nahay Khay): The cleansing day. Devotees bathe in a natural water body, cook a simple meal of chana dal and bottle gourd, and observe strict ritual purity for the days ahead.
• November 14 (Kharna): A day of complete fasting that breaks only after evening puja, when devotees consume kheer (rice pudding) and fruits blessed through prayer.
• November 15 (Sandhya Arghya — Sunset Offering): The emotional centerpiece. Families gather at the water's edge as the sun descends, offering thekuas (wheat-flour sweets), fruits, sugarcane, and earthen diyas on bamboo baskets called soop.
• November 16 (Usha Arghya — Sunrise Offering): The final act. Devotees return to the same water body before dawn to offer prayers as the first rays appear, completing the vrat and receiving blessings for family prosperity and health.

Where to Gather: Water Bodies and Community Spaces Around Lodi

Chhath Puja needs water. In their home districts, families wade into the Ganga, the Falgu, or village tanks. In California, community members scout lakes and rivers with accessible banks and enough space for bamboo soop arrangements, oil lamps, and chanting crowds.

Lodi Lake Park, the city's beloved 110-acre green space along the Mokelumne River in Lodi's northwest, is a natural candidate. The park's broad, calm lake has gentle banks, ample parking, and a picnic infrastructure the city maintains year-round. While no official Chhath event is confirmed at press time, the site has historically attracted South Asian families for outdoor religious observances. Arrive early on November 15 and 16 to claim a good position along the shore — the population around Stockton, Lodi, and Manteca has grown considerably over the past decade.

Beyond the lake, the Stockton Hindu Cultural and Community Center (SHCCC) in Stockton — about fifteen miles north of downtown Lodi — has emerged as the principal organized Hindu institution serving the Central Valley. After seven years of fundraising and construction, the SHCCC consecrated its Shiva Vishnu Temple on February 20, 2022, in a ceremony that drew the Indian Consul General from San Francisco and devotees from across the region. For Chhath-specific programming, contact the center directly for the 2026 calendar; in past years, temples affiliated with the North Indian diaspora have organized carpooled convoys to nearby water sites for the sunset and sunrise arghya.

Insider Tip

Pack a battery-powered lantern or LED candles in addition to your earthen diyas. Many California parks prohibit open flame after 10 p.m., and even if the site is permissive, a lantern lets you read prayer texts and arrange the soop in the pre-dawn darkness of November 16 without relying on phone flashlights. Bring extra thekua — the cardamom-and-jaggery wheat cookies that are the festival's signature offering — because fellow devotees almost always share.

Fueling the Festival: Lodi's Indian Food and Grocery Scene

Chhath-compliant cooking is specific: no onion, no garlic, no impure utensils, and produce sourced with intention. If you need to supplement your home preparation with ready-made sweets or hard-to-find ingredients, Lodi's Indian restaurants and stores have you covered before and after the fast.

Indian Curry and Grill (1515 S Lower Sacramento Rd) is a full-service restaurant with a loyal following — over 100 Yelp reviews and a near-perfect rating — that serves North Indian staples from tandoori dishes to rich curries. Its kitchen team is familiar with festive orders and can point you toward seasonal sweets during the Chhath window.

Indian Flavors Cuisine (920 S Cherokee Ln) holds a 4.5-star rating with reviewers frequently praising the butter chicken and korma. Its lunch buffet is a practical option in the days leading up to the fast, when you want a solid meal before the austerity begins.

Friends Indian Restaurant (1040 W Kettleman Ln), one of the more established Indian eateries in Lodi with more than 230 Yelp reviews, serves a broad North Indian menu and is a popular default for community groups driving through town. After the Usha Arghya on November 16, many families break their fast together at a restaurant rather than cook immediately — worth calling ahead for group reservations.

Rice and Spice (1030 S Hutchins St) completes the picture on the grocery side: a well-regarded halal South Asian store carrying Middle Eastern, Pakistani, and Indian products alongside fresh halal meat. During the Chhath window the shelves stock specialty items — pointed gourd (parwal), water chestnuts, rock salt (sendha namak), and coarse wheat flour — that observant devotees need for the puja kitchen.

FAQ

When exactly is Chhath Puja 2026? The four days run November 13 (Nahay Khay), November 14 (Kharna), November 15 (Sandhya Arghya at sunset), and November 16 (Usha Arghya at sunrise). The exact sunset and sunrise times in Lodi on those days will appear in local panchang apps closer to the date.

Is Chhath Puja only for Bihari and Jharkhand families? Historically yes — the festival originated in what is now Bihar and neighboring states and has a distinct folk music tradition in Bhojpuri and Maithili. In diaspora settings, however, UP, Nepali, and even Bengali families often join the community gathering at the water's edge. The puja is inclusive by practice even when it is rooted in one regional tradition.

Where can I find thekua in Lodi? Most devotees make thekua at home because the pure preparation matters as much as the ingredient. That said, Indian sweet shops in nearby Stockton and Modesto stock them in the weeks before Chhath. Indian Curry and Grill and Friends Indian Restaurant can sometimes arrange festive sweets with advance notice.

Do I need a permit to hold Chhath puja at Lodi Lake Park? Lodi's parks department may require a Special Event Permit for gatherings over a certain size or for the use of open fire (diyas). Check with Lodi's Parks and Recreation Department well in advance — they are generally welcoming of cultural events and can help secure the right spot along the lake.

Can non-Hindus attend? Chhath Puja is an open, public celebration; the sunset arghya in particular draws onlookers from all backgrounds. If you attend as a guest, observe from a respectful distance during active puja, silence your phone, and avoid walking between the votary and the water. Many families are delighted to explain the rituals and share prasad.

Bottom Line

Chhath Puja in Lodi is a quieter, more intimate affair than the massive events in Fremont or Sacramento — and that is part of its appeal. Lodi Lake Park provides an accessible water body, the SHCCC in Stockton anchors the community's institutional presence, and the city's Indian restaurant corridor — anchored by Indian Curry and Grill, Indian Flavors Cuisine, and Friends Indian Restaurant — keeps the community fed before and after the vrat. Find more South Asian resources and events at /cities/lodi.