Delhi declares November 16 holiday for Chhath, plans over 1,400 ghats

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has announced a public holiday in the capital on Monday, November 16, 2026, the last day of Chhath Puja, when devotees make the morning offering to the rising Sun. She made the announcement on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at a review of Chhath preparations, where officials said Delhi would have more than 1,400 ghats for the festival this year, up from 1,326 last year. She also set November 6 as the deadline for basic arrangements at the ghats.

Chhath Puja is one of the largest public gatherings in Delhi each year. It is celebrated widely by families from Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand who live in the capital. According to tradition, devotees fast and stand in water to offer prayers to the setting Sun on the third evening and to the rising Sun on the fourth morning. Because these rituals take place at dawn and dusk, in or beside the Yamuna, canals and artificial ponds, the condition of each ghat decides whether the festival is safe and orderly.

The holiday matters most for working families. The dawn offering on the last day means that many devotees and their relatives are at the ghats before sunrise, and a working Monday would force many to choose between the ritual and their jobs or schools. A declared holiday removes that conflict for those it covers. The exact scope, for example which offices and schools must close, is normally set out in a formal government order, so employees should check the notification when it is issued.

The rise in the number of ghats reflects a policy of spreading devotees across more sites, closer to where they live, instead of crowding a few river banks. Earlier this month the Chief Minister inspected new works along the Munak Canal and visited ghats on the Yamuna. The October 27 review moved from inspection to deadlines: a fixed date for basic works, personal checks by officials, and safety measures such as CCTV, fire tenders and facilities for women.

What citizens can expect next is a formal holiday notification and, closer to the festival, traffic advisories around major ghats. Families who plan to perform the rituals can ask their local resident welfare association or ward office which ghat is nearest, since the number of sites is going up this year.

Short-term: Civic agencies have about a week to finish basic work at more than 1,400 ghats, and many Delhi residents get a day off on November 16 for the final dawn offering.

Long-term: Adding ghats close to neighbourhoods each year could reduce crowding at the big river sites and set a standard for safety measures such as CCTV and fire cover at religious gatherings.

Who is affected: Chhath devotees and their families in Delhi, government employees and students covered by the holiday, civic bodies and the police who manage the ghats, and commuters near major ghats on festival days.

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