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

TL;DR

• 🌅 Chhath Puja 2026 runs November 13–16, with the main sunset offering on November 15
• The festival honors the Sun God and is most meaningful to families with roots in Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern UP
• The Hindu Temple of New Hampshire on Broad Street is the anchor of Nashua's Indian community
• 📅 Nashua's Daniel Webster Highway corridor has Indian groceries, including Patel Brothers, to pick up thekua, fruits, and puja supplies
• The festival follows Diwali by one week — a full month of observances for the community

What Is Chhath Puja and Why It Matters to the Diaspora

Chhath Puja is one of the most physically and spiritually demanding festivals in the Hindu calendar. Unlike many puja ceremonies, it has no priest — the devotee, usually a woman in the family, fasts for two consecutive days, stands in a river or lake at both sunset and sunrise, and offers seasonal fruits, sugarcane, and thekua (a wheat-and-jaggery sweet) to Surya, the Sun God. The festival is observed primarily by families with roots in Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh, and it has traveled to every corner of the world where that diaspora has settled.

For Nashua's Indian American community — one of the largest in New England, with an estimated several thousand Hindu families in the region — Chhath carries particular weight. It is a family festival that cuts across socioeconomic lines, one that grandmothers perform with the same devotion as college students returning home for the long weekend. When you watch a crowd of worshippers standing at a lake's edge as the sun touches the horizon, you understand why this festival persists across generations and continents.

The Four-Day Schedule for Chhath Puja 2026

Chhath Puja follows a four-day arc tied to the lunar calendar:

Day 1 — Nahay Khay (November 13): Devotees bathe in a natural water body or at home and eat a single pure meal. Loki (bottle gourd) cooked in pure ghee with chana dal is the traditional dish. No onion, no garlic, no tamasic ingredients.

Day 2 — Kharna (November 14): A full day's fast, broken only after sunset with kheer made from rice and jaggery, and roti. The prasad is first offered to the Sun and then shared with family. For many families, the aroma of kheer cooking is the defining sensory memory of the festival.

Day 3 — Sandhya Arghya (November 15): The most visible day. Devotees make their way to a water body before sunset, stand in the water, and offer arghya to the setting sun. This is the day families gather at a local river, lake, or pond with bamboo baskets filled with offerings — sugarcane stalks, loki, suran, coconut, citrus, and thekua arranged on brass platters.

Day 4 — Usha Arghya (November 16): The fast concludes at dawn with an offering to the rising sun. After the morning arghya, the devotee breaks the fast and the festival ends. For families who have kept the fast through the entire four days, the first meal afterward — typically ginger tea and something sweet — carries a satisfaction that is hard to articulate.

Where Nashua's Community Gathers

The anchor of Nashua's South Asian religious life is the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire, located on Broad Street. With roughly three thousand to four thousand Hindu families in southern New Hampshire, the temple serves as the organizing hub for major festivals. The temple often circulates information about community-organized Chhath gatherings at local water bodies — checking its website or attending puja programs in the weeks leading up to Diwali is the most reliable way to find out where the community plans to meet.

For the arghya rituals, public parks along the Nashua River offer accessible waterfront areas, and Mine Falls Park is one of the city's most used natural outdoor spaces. The community's exact gathering location is typically confirmed through the temple or word-of-mouth among community members as the date approaches. Plan to arrive at the water body at least 45 minutes before official sunset on Day 3 — the crowd builds quickly as the light changes.

Stocking Up for Puja

Preparing for Chhath requires specific ingredients that go beyond everyday grocery staples — loki, sugarcane, thekua, mooli, suran (yam), and various citrus and seasonal fruits. Nashua's Indian grocery landscape has expanded meaningfully and can cover all of these.

Patel Brothers, which opened a Nashua location in 2026 on Daniel Webster Highway, is part of the well-known national Indian grocery chain and carries a broad range of produce, pantry staples, and specialty items needed for Chhath preparations. Its arrival significantly expanded the Indian grocery footprint in the area.

Desi Global Flavors, also on Daniel Webster Highway, pairs a grocery section with a buffet. It carries pantry staples including lentils, rice, flours, spices, and tiffin items year-round. For cooked food to break the fast after Kharna, it is a convenient stop.

Food and Fashion of India on Amherst Street is a vegetarian establishment that sells both prepared food and Indian grocery items including frozen foods, chutneys, dosa and idli batter, spices, and Indian snacks. It is worth visiting for specialty items specific to the festival.

For thekua specifically, the best supply is often not a store shelf but a neighbor's kitchen. Chhath prasad is frequently made at home and shared through community networks in the days before the festival.

Insider Tip: Arrive at the water body at least 45 minutes before the official sunset time on Day 3. The crowd builds fast as the golden hour approaches, and the positions closest to the water fill up quickly. Bring a waterproof mat or folded cloth to kneel on, and pack an extra bag for wet clothing after standing in the water. November by the river in New Hampshire is cold — a warm layer for after the arghya is not optional.

Dining Around Chhath Weekend

The festival days themselves are not eating days for the vrat-keeper, but family members and supporters who come to participate will want options nearby. Chowrastha Indian Eatery on Daniel Webster Highway offers North and South Indian food including biryani, dosas, and street food items — a good option for a satisfying meal after the Usha Arghya on November 16 when everyone is finally ready to eat. India Palace on Amherst Street rounds out the local sit-down dining options for a celebratory meal at the festival's close.

For everything the desi community in Nashua has to offer year-round — from restaurants to events to local vendor listings — visit Desi.Net Nashua.

FAQ

Q: When exactly is Chhath Puja in 2026? The four-day festival runs from November 13 to November 16, 2026. The main sunset arghya falls on November 15, and the sunrise arghya concludes the festival on November 16.

Q: Does Nashua have an organized Chhath Puja event? No single citywide event is officially publicized, but the Indian community in Nashua organizes gatherings at local water bodies. The Hindu Temple of New Hampshire is the best source for current-year event details.

Q: What water body do people use for arghya in Nashua? Public parks along the Nashua River are common outdoor gathering points. The specific location is confirmed through the temple and community groups as the date approaches.

Q: Who keeps the Chhath Puja fast? Traditionally, women in the family keep the fast and perform the rituals. Men and other family members support the preparations and accompany devotees to the water body. In diaspora communities, men are increasingly taking the vow as well.

Q: Can I attend a Chhath gathering as a non-Hindu observer? Chhath gatherings at public water bodies are open to respectful visitors. Dressing conservatively, maintaining quiet during the arghya, and not standing directly in front of worshippers facing the sun are the main considerations.

Bottom Line

Chhath Puja 2026 falls November 13–16, with the main sunset arghya on November 15 — one week after Diwali. Nashua's Indian community is large and well-organized, with the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire as its center of gravity. Stock up on puja supplies at Patel Brothers, Desi Global Flavors, or Food and Fashion of India, confirm the gathering spot through the temple, and arrive early at the water's edge for one of the most moving outdoor religious observances in the diaspora calendar.