New Delhi: Chhath Puja is an ancient Hindu festival dedicated to Surya, the Sun God, and Chhathi Maiya. Devotees thank them for sustaining life on Earth,
giving energy and blessing families with health and prosperity. People celebrate it in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, and in Nepal, six days after Diwali in the lunar month of Kartika.
In 2026, the festival begins on Friday, November 13 and ends on Monday, November 16. Gratitude to nature is central, as the festival honours the sun, water, earth and light, and offers thanks after the harvest. Devotees, known as vratis, keep a strict fast without food or water to pray for their children’s long life, health and bright future. Prasad has an important place in these rituals, and each offering follows a time-honoured recipe. Here are traditional prasad recipes to prepare at home this Chhath.
Thekua recipe for Chhath Puja
Thekua is the main sweet offering and the heart of the Chhath soop.
Thekua recipe ingredients
- 2 cups of whole wheat flour
- About 400 grams and ideally slightly coarse
- 150 grams of jaggery
- 3-4 tablespoons of ghee plus extra for frying
- A teaspoon of fennel seeds
- Half a teaspoon of cardamom powder
- A quarter to half cup of chopped or grated dry coconut
- About half a cup of warm water (used sparingly, helps to bind the dough)
How to prepare thekua
- Melt the jaggery with a little water and let the syrup cool until lukewarm.
- Keep it thin and avoid a thick sugar thread.
- Mix the flour, fennel, cardamom and coconut in a large bowl.
- Add the ghee and rub it in with your palms until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs and holds its shape when pressed.
- Add the syrup bit by bit and knead a stiff, tight dough, as a soft one makes the thekua soft instead of crisp.
- Shape small balls and press them with a wooden thekua mould, or flatten them and mark with a fork or palm patterns.
- Fry in ghee on medium-low heat until deep golden and crisp on both sides, drain on paper towels and cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Rasiya recipe for Kharna
Rasiya, a jaggery kheer, is prepared on the second day, Kharna, as the main offering before the 36-hour nirjala fast begins.
Rasiya recipe ingredients
- Take half a cup of rice, washed and soaked for 20 minutes
- One litre of full-fat milk
- Three-quarters of a cup of grated or powdered jaggery
- A pinch of cardamom powder
- Chopped almonds
- Chirauli as an optional addition
How to prepare rasiya
- Boil the milk in a heavy-bottomed pot.
- Add the soaked rice and simmer on low heat until the grains turn completely soft and the milk thickens.
- Switch off the flame and let the kheer cool for a few minutes, so the milk does not curdle when the jaggery goes in.
- Stir in the jaggery until it dissolves, then add the cardamom and garnish with dry fruits.
- Serve it with ghee-smeared rotis or puris.
Kasar laddoo recipe
Kasar laddoo is made with roasted coarse rice flour bound with jaggery and ghee, and it is traditionally prepared on the third day.
Kasar laddoo recipe ingredients
- Two cups of coarsely ground rice flour
- A cup of grated jaggery
- Two to three tablespoons of ghee
- Half a teaspoon of fennel seeds or dry ginger powder (sonth)
How to prepare kasar laddoo
- Dry roast the flour in a pan on low heat until it smells fragrant, taking care that it does not brown heavily.
- Move the warm flour to a bowl and mix in the jaggery, ghee and fennel or sonth powder.
- Press small portions firmly between your hands into tight round laddoos.
A stiff dough for thekua and a gently cooled kheer for rasiya need patience more than skill, and that care suits the devotion at the heart of Chhath Puja.
