Quick facts
- Date
- Thursday, 29 October 2026
- Hindu date
- Krishna paksha Chaturthi
Kartik (Purnimanta) · Ashwin (Amanta) - Tithi begins / ends
- 1:07 AM → 10:10 PM
- Moonrise
- varies by city — use a local moonrise table
- Sunrise · Sunset (New Delhi)
- 6:31 AM · 5:39 PM
- Vikram Samvat
- 2083 (Gujarati: 2082)
Dates
| Year | Date | Hindu date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Thursday, 29 October 2026 | Krishna paksha Chaturthi | Open in calendar |
| 2027 | Monday, 18 October 2027 | Krishna paksha Chaturthi | Open in calendar |
Dates are for New Delhi. Dates that have already passed are not listed. Later years are added once they have been checked.
About Karwa Chauth
Karwa Chauth is a day-long fast kept by married women for the long life and well-being of their husbands, widely observed in North India. It falls on the fourth tithi (Chaturthi) of the dark fortnight of Kartik in the Purnimanta calendar, which is Ashwin in the Amanta calendar, about nine days before Diwali.
The fast begins at sunrise without food or water and is broken in the evening after the moon is seen, usually by looking at it through a sieve and then at the husband.
How the date is decided
Karwa Chauth is kept on the Krishna Chaturthi that is running when the moon rises. Because moonrise differs from city to city by up to an hour or more, the time to break the fast must be taken from a local moonrise table; the date shown here is the date of the fast.
How it is observed
- Eat the pre-dawn meal (sargi) before sunrise and fast through the day.
- Gather in the evening for the Karwa Chauth katha and puja.
- Break the fast after moonrise, when the moon is offered water.
Puja vidhi: how to do the puja
- Before sunrise, eat the sargi given by your mother-in-law: fruit, sweets, dry fruits and a little food.
- Keep a nirjala fast (no food or water) through the day, or as your family's custom allows.
- In the evening, dress in your finery, gather with other women and set out the karwa (a spouted pot) filled with water, a diya and the puja thali before a picture of Karwa Mata.
- Listen to the Karwa Chauth katha and pass the thalis around the circle while singing.
- At moonrise in your city, look at the Moon through a sieve, offer arghya from the karwa, then look at your husband's face through the same sieve.
- Your husband offers you water and the first bite to break the fast.
Puja samagri checklist
Tick things off as you gather them; your list is kept on this device.
Katha: The story of Veeravati
Veeravati was the only sister of seven loving brothers. She kept her first Karwa Chauth at her parents' home and by evening was faint with hunger and thirst. Unable to bear it, her brothers lit a fire behind the trees and held up a sieve, so that it looked like the rising Moon. She offered arghya and broke her fast.
At once word came that her husband had died. Heartbroken, she refused to leave his side and prayed to the goddess, keeping every fast of the year with complete devotion. On the next Karwa Chauth, moved by her faith, the goddess restored her husband to life. The fast is kept in her memory.
Karwa Chauth 2026 in other cities
| City | Date | Compared with New Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| New Delhi | Thursday, 29 October 2026 | same as New Delhi |
| London | Wednesday, 28 October 2026 | 1 day earlier |
| New York | Wednesday, 28 October 2026 | 1 day earlier |
| Toronto | Wednesday, 28 October 2026 | 1 day earlier |
| Sydney | Thursday, 29 October 2026 | same as New Delhi |
| Dubai | Thursday, 29 October 2026 | same as New Delhi |
| Singapore | Thursday, 29 October 2026 | same as New Delhi |
| Johannesburg | Thursday, 29 October 2026 | same as New Delhi |
Frequently asked questions
When is Karwa Chauth in 2026?
Karwa Chauth 2026 falls on Thursday, 29 October 2026 (New Delhi). The tithi runs from 1:07 AM to 10:10 PM.
When is Karwa Chauth in 2027?
Karwa Chauth 2027 falls on Monday, 18 October 2027 (New Delhi).
Why does the date of Karwa Chauth change every year?
Karwa Chauth follows the Hindu lunisolar calendar. It is tied to Krishna paksha Chaturthi of the month of Kartik (Purnimanta) · Ashwin (Amanta), not to a fixed Gregorian date. A lunar year is about eleven days shorter than a solar year, so the date moves earlier by roughly that much each year, until a leap month (Adhik Maas) is added and it jumps back.
Is Karwa Chauth on the same day everywhere?
Not always. In London, New York, Toronto the date differs from New Delhi, because tithis are read at local sunrise or sunset and these places are many hours away from India. Use the city table above, or the calendar with your own location.