Karwa Chauth 2026: Date, Moonrise Time & Puja Vidhi

Karwa Chauth 2026 falls on Thursday, 29 October. The Chaturthi tithi of Kartik Krishna Paksha runs from 1:08 am to 10:10 pm that day, and the moon is expected to rise in New Delhi at about 8:17 pm (India, IST).

Timings for New Delhi, from our panchang calculation:

• Sargi: eat before sunrise, which is at 6:30 am
• Fast: from sunrise until you see the moon
• Sunset: 5:38 pm. The evening puja and katha are done after sunset and before moonrise
• Moonrise: about 8:17 pm
• Moonrise in other cities: about 9:00 pm in Mumbai and 7:52 pm in Patna
• In the USA and Canada, Karwa Chauth is on Wednesday, 28 October, with moonrise about 7:35 pm in New York and 7:45 pm in Toronto (local time)

Moonrise changes from city to city, sometimes by half an hour or more, and a cloudy sky can hide the moon even after it has risen. Check the moonrise time for your own city on the day; our daily panchang is a good place to start.

The same day is also Sankashti Chaturthi, the monthly Chaturthi of Lord Ganesh, which is one reason many families remember Ganesh first in the evening puja. In the amant calendar used in Gujarat and Maharashtra the month is called Ashwin, but the day is the same. The countdown is on our Karwa Chauth 2026 festival page.

Karwa Chauth is a one-day vrat kept mainly by married women in North India, especially in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. They pray for the long life and wellbeing of their husbands. The name joins two words: karwa, the small earthen pot with a spout used in the puja, and chauth, the fourth day (Chaturthi) after the full moon.

Women traditionally fast from sunrise without food or water, dress as they did on their wedding day, apply mehendi, and gather in the evening to worship Karwa Mata along with Shiva, Parvati (worshipped as Gauri), Ganesh and Kartikeya. The fast ends only after the moon has been seen and offered water.

The day has also become a family occasion. Many husbands now keep the fast alongside their wives, and some unmarried women keep it for a fiancé or a future partner. These are choices each family makes for itself. Tradition has always left room for how a household observes a vrat.

Sargi is the pre-dawn meal that begins the day. In many Punjabi families the mother-in-law prepares or sends it in a thali, with her blessings for the day. If you live away from family, prepare it yourself. The meaning lies in beginning the fast with care, not in who cooks.

Eat sargi before sunrise, which is 6:30 am in New Delhi on 29 October. Common items:

• Fresh fruit, and milk or coconut water
• Soaked almonds, walnuts and other dry fruits
• Pheni (sweet vermicelli) or kheer
• A light paratha or mathri
• Plenty of water

Choose food that keeps you steady. Very salty or fried food makes thirst harder, and a heavy meal before dawn can leave you uncomfortable. Many women also receive shringar items with the sargi, such as bangles, sindoor and a new dupatta, to wear in the evening.

Keep the thali ready by afternoon so the evening is calm. A typical list:

• A karwa of clay or metal with its lid, filled with water (some families fill it with grain or sweets instead)
• A lota of water for the moon's arghya
• A diya with ghee or oil, and a matchbox
• A channi (sieve) for viewing the moon
• Roli, haldi, akshat (whole rice) and mauli (red thread)
• Sindoor, bangles and other shringar items
• Mehendi, applied the day before or in the morning
• Sweets, fruit and a little dry fruit for the offering
• A Karwa Mata picture or calendar
• Incense and fresh flowers
• The Karwa Chauth vrat katha book
• The baya, a thali of sweets, fruit and clothes that many women give to their mother-in-law

Families differ on the details. If your mother or mother-in-law has her own list, follow hers.

1. Morning: after sargi, bathe and take the sankalp, a short resolve to keep the vrat, with folded hands before your home shrine. Say your name and your husband's name.
2. Through the day: rest when you can, avoid heavy work in the sun, and keep the mind on prayer.
3. Afternoon: dress in bridal or festive clothes and set up the puja place. Put the Karwa Mata picture, the filled karwa, the diya and the thali on a clean chowki.
4. After sunset: light the diya. Offer roli, akshat, flowers and sweets first to Ganesh, then to Shiva and Parvati, Kartikeya and Karwa Mata. Many homes recite the Devi prayer Sarva Mangala Mangalye and the Shiva-Parvati shlok Karpur Gauram.
5. Katha: listen to or read the Karwa Chauth vrat katha. In many Punjabi families women sit in a circle, pass their thalis around and sing the traditional Karwa Chauth songs.
6. Moonrise: take the thali, the lota of water and the sieve outside or to the terrace. Offer water (arghya) to the moon with akshat and flowers, and pray for your husband and family.
7. Look at the moon through the sieve, then at your husband's face through the same sieve.
8. Your husband gives you the first sip of water and the first bite of food, and the fast ends. Touch the feet of elders and share the prasad.

The vrat katha tells of Veeravati, the only sister of seven brothers, who kept her first Karwa Chauth fast at her parents' home. As evening came she grew faint, and her brothers, unable to watch her suffer, showed her a false moon made with a lamp behind a tree. She broke her fast, and soon afterwards bad news came about her husband. The story says she then kept the vrat with full devotion, and her husband was restored to her.

Families tell the katha with small differences, and some read other stories on this day as well. Read the full katha from the printed vrat katha book your family uses.

Most customs around Karwa Chauth are household traditions rather than fixed rules. Many families keep the fast nirjala (without food or water) until moonrise, avoid sleeping through the day, and complete the evening puja in festive clothes. Some avoid wearing black or white, or using scissors and needles, on this day. Follow what your family follows, and do not worry about customs you did not grow up with.

A health note: a full day without water is not safe for everyone. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic, have low blood pressure, take regular medication or are unwell, speak to your doctor before keeping a nirjala fast. Tradition itself allows a lighter vrat with water, milk and fruit (phalahar) for anyone who needs it, and it is still a Karwa Chauth vrat.

Many women visit a nearby Shiva or Devi temple on Karwa Chauth. If you are away from home or cannot go, you can book an archana at our verified temple in Delhi in both your names. A Durga Archana is the closest fit, since Gauri, worshipped on this day, is a form of the Devi. A Ganesh Archana also suits the day because it is Sankashti Chaturthi.

When you book, you give your name, your husband's name, gotra if you know it, and the date. The temple pandit chants the deity's 108 names with your sankalp. You receive photo proof and a completion certificate by email, typically within 24 hours of the archana. At the time of writing an archana costs ₹499. It does not replace your own fast or puja; it adds a temple offering. Diwali follows ten days later, and our Diwali 2026 Lakshmi Puja guide has the dates and vidhi.