Chhath school holidays 2026: how many days schools stay shut in Bihar, Jharkhand, east UP and Delhi-NCR

Chhath, the four-day festival of sun worship, begins this year on November 13, 2026, with Nahay-Khay. It ends on November 16 with Usha Arghya and Parana. It is the biggest festival for people in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, and preparations begin as soon as Diwali ends. Children and parents are asking when schools will be closed and for how many days.

According to the 2026 holiday calendars of state governments and education departments, Chhath is celebrated on a large scale in Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-NCR, and a government holiday has been declared in many places there. Nahay-Khay falls on November 13, the first day of the festival, but schools will remain open in many places that day. The actual holiday comes in the days after, and it differs from state to state.

In Bihar, schools are closed from November 14 to 16, 2026, three days in all. November 14 is Kharna, November 15 is Sandhya Arghya, and November 16 is Usha Arghya and Parana. Schools in Bihar will reopen on November 17 or 18, 2026.

The holiday is longer in Jharkhand, where schools are closed from November 15 to 17, 2026. In some districts a holiday has also been given on November 14, making four days in all. Schools in Jharkhand will reopen on November 18, 2026 after the break.

In Uttar Pradesh the holiday does not apply everywhere, but it does in the districts of Purvanchal, where schools will be closed on November 16, 2026. November 15 is a Sunday, so with the weekly off schools will be shut for two days in all. In places such as Lucknow, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Prayagraj, where Chhath is celebrated on a large scale, schools will be closed.

In Delhi-NCR, schools are closed from November 15 to 16, including the Sunday weekly off, two days in all. Many people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh live in Delhi, so a Chhath holiday is given there too. Schools in Delhi and eastern Uttar Pradesh will reopen on Tuesday, November 17, after the break.

The information is based on government calendars. If a school has issued a separate notice, that notice should be treated as correct. Parents and students should check their school's official notice, and should not rely on messages in WhatsApp groups. The date on the school notice board or given by the teacher should be taken as final.

Chhath is not only a holiday but a festival of faith. Going to the ghat to offer arghya to the sun, keeping the fast and making thekua mean a great deal to the people there.