With the four-day Chhath Puja festival underway across Uttar Pradesh and Purvanchal, authorities in Varanasi have announced major relief for families, students, and government employees observing the sacred rituals. Varanasi District Magistrate (DM) Satyendra Kumar issued an official order on Friday, November 13, 2026, declaring Monday, November 16, 2026, a local public holiday across the district on the occasion of Chhath Puja. Because the concluding morning ritual of Usha Arghya—when devotees gather before dawn along riverbanks and ponds to offer prayers to the rising sun—falls on Monday morning, the district administration’s directive ensures that schools, colleges, and government offices across Varanasi will remain closed at the start of the week. For residents of Kashi and neighbouring Purvanchal districts, the decision brings clarity amid widespread confusion over whether institutions would remain open after the weekend.

What Does the Varanasi DM’s November 16 Holiday Order Cover?

According to the notification released by the Varanasi district administration, the local holiday declared for Monday, November 16, applies broadly across administrative, revenue, and educational establishments in the district. Specifically, the order covers the Revenue Department (Mal Vibhag) and all associated district government offices, meaning routine administrative work, land revenue registries, and public-facing clerical services will remain suspended for the day. With a district-wide local public holiday formally notified by the District Magistrate, all government, government-aided, and recognised schools and colleges in Varanasi will also remain closed on Monday. Officials noted that declaring a local holiday allows both government employees and families to participate smoothly in the morning arghya and parana (fast-breaking) rituals at the Ganga ghats and community reservoirs without rushing back to classrooms or desks, while enabling civic and police personnel deployed for crowd management to focus on festival arrangements.

Why Was There Confusion Over Monday’s Chhath Holiday in Uttar Pradesh?

The District Magistrate’s intervention resolves an annual calendar ambiguity that leaves parents and office-goers guessing across Uttar Pradesh. Under the state government’s annual holiday calendar for 2026, the main evening ritual of Chhath Puja (Sandhya Arghya) falls on Sunday, November 15, which is already a weekly off for schools and most offices. Meanwhile, Monday, November 16—the day of Usha Arghya—is listed in the broader state calendar under restricted or optional holidays alongside the regional observance of Veerangana Uda Devi Martyrdom Day, rather than as a mandatory statewide gazetted closure. Because restricted holidays in Uttar Pradesh do not automatically shut down schools or district offices, District Magistrates in major Purvanchal celebration hubs such as Varanasi exercise their statutory authority to declare a local holiday based on local crowd density and cultural significance. In nearby districts like Kanpur, Unnao, and Lucknow, where no separate district-wide closure order has been notified yet, parents and employees are advised to verify Monday schedules directly with their respective school administrations or department heads.

Complete Four-Day Chhath Puja 2026 Ritual Schedule and Ghat Arrangements

Chhath Puja 2026 commenced on Friday, November 13, with Nahay Khay, during which devotees took holy dips and prepared traditional meals. Saturday, November 14, marks Kharna, when fasting devotees observe a day-long nirjala (waterless) fast before preparing kheer and roti offerings in the evening. The festival reaches its peak on Sunday evening, November 15, with Sandhya Arghya offered to the setting sun, followed by the final Usha Arghya at sunrise on Monday, November 16. In Varanasi, where lakhs of devotees assemble along the 84 Ganga ghats—including Assi Ghat, Dashashwamedh Ghat, and Rajghat—as well as local ponds like Suraj Kund, municipal and police teams have stepped up barricading, lighting, diver deployment, and traffic diversions to ensure safe, orderly celebrations.

When Will Schools and Offices Reopen in Varanasi?

Following the Monday local holiday, normal academic classes and routine government office operations across Varanasi will resume on Tuesday, November 17, 2026. Essential services—including hospitals, emergency medical units, sanitation teams, water supply, electricity maintenance, and law-and-order personnel—remain exempt from the closure order to keep civic services running smoothly throughout the festival. Students, parents, and citizens with pending administrative or revenue work in Varanasi should plan their visits from Tuesday onward, keeping in mind that the next scheduled statewide gazetted holiday in Uttar Pradesh falls on Tuesday, November 24, 2026, for Guru Nanak Jayanti and Kartik Purnima.