2026 Karwa Chauth · Mumbai

Karwa Chauth is a one-day fast kept by married Hindu women, mainly in North India, for their husbands' long life and wellbeing. It falls on Krishna Chaturthi, the fourth day after the full moon, in Kartik (Purnimanta) or Ashwin (Amanta). In 2026 it is on Thursday, 29 October, and the fast ends at moonrise.

When is Karwa Chauth in 2026, 2027 and 2028?

The fast is kept on the day Krishna Chaturthi is running at moonrise, since the vrat is completed by offering water to the rising moon.

Dates are calculated for Mumbai (IST). Moonrise time changes from city to city, so check the moonrise and puja window for your own location in the calculator above.

Significance and story

The name joins karwa, a small clay pot with a spout, and chauth, the fourth day. The karwa, filled with water or grain, is central to the puja and is later given away as a gift. The festival comes around the time of rabi sowing and is also a celebration of friendship among women, who gather in the evening to pray together.

Queen Veervati

The most widely told katha is about Veervati, the only sister of seven loving brothers. On her first Karwa Chauth after marriage she fasted at her parents' home, and by evening she was faint with hunger and thirst. Unable to bear it, her brothers lit a fire behind a tree, or in some versions held up a mirror, so that it looked like the moon had risen. Veervati broke her fast, and soon news came that her husband had died. Heartbroken, she kept up her devotion for a full year and fasted properly on the next Karwa Chauth, and her husband was restored to life. The story is told at every Karwa Chauth gathering as a reminder of patience and faith.

Karwa and the crocodile

Another tale tells of a devoted wife named Karwa whose husband was seized by a crocodile while bathing. She bound the crocodile with a cotton thread and demanded that Yama, the god of death, punish it and spare her husband. Moved by her courage, Yama agreed. Women pray to Karwa Mata for the same strength.

Savitri and Draupadi

Many families also remember Savitri, who followed Yama and won back the life of her husband Satyavan, and Draupadi, who is said to have kept this fast on Krishna's advice while Arjuna was away. Each story points to the same theme: love expressed through determination.

How to keep the Karwa Chauth vrat (vidhi)

1. The day before: Apply mehndi on hands and feet, and arrange the puja items: a karwa, a sieve, a lamp, roli, rice, sweets and a Karwa Chauth picture or calendar.
2. Before dawn: Eat the sargi, a meal traditionally sent by the mother-in-law, with fruit, dry fruits, sweets such as pheni, and something to drink. This is the last food until moonrise.
3. After sunrise: Take a sankalpa to keep the fast. Most women observe a nirjala fast, with no food or water; others take water or fruit depending on health and family custom.
4. During the day: Rest, dress in festive clothes, usually red or another bridal colour, and wear the shringar such as bangles, sindoor and bindi.
5. Evening puja: Gather with other women around an image of Gauri, Shiva and their family, or Chauth Mata. Place the karwa filled with water and a lamp on the puja plate.
6. Listen to or read the Karwa Chauth katha. During it, women pass their thalis around the circle, traditionally seven times, while singing the Karwa Chauth song.
7. Offer roli, rice, flowers and sweets to the goddess, and give a karwa or a baya (a gift of sweets, clothes or money) to the mother-in-law or an elder woman.
8. At moonrise: Look at the moon through a sieve, offer it water (arghya) from the karwa, and pray for your husband's long life.
9. Look at your husband through the same sieve. He then gives you the first sip of water and a bite of sweet, and the fast is complete.

Regional variations

• Punjab and Haryana: The sargi and the evening circle of women with thalis are central, and the Punjabi Karwa Chauth song guides the passing of the plates.
• Rajasthan: Women worship Chauth Mata, and the Chauth Mata temple near Sawai Madhopur is a popular pilgrimage. Hands and feet are decorated with alta as well as mehndi.
• Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh: Women often draw an image of the moon, the goddess and the karwa on the wall with rice paste or geru, and worship it in the evening.
• Delhi and urban India: The festival has grown, with community celebrations, and many husbands now fast alongside their wives.
• Other names and overlaps: The festival is also called Karaka Chaturthi, and the same day is Sankashti Chaturthi, a monthly Ganesha fast that is also broken at moonrise.
• Four days later: Mothers in North India keep Ahoi Ashtami, a similar fast for their children broken on sighting the stars.

Frequently asked questions

Updated on 16 October 2026. Dates are calculated for Mumbai (IST); the calculator above gives timings for your city.