What Karwa Chauth is
Karwa Chauth is a widely kept vrat in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Married women (and today many husbands too) fast from sunrise to moonrise, worship the karwa (a spouted clay pot) and Gauri, Ganesha and Shiva in the evening, hear the story, and break the fast after offering water to the moon.
Dharmasindhu calls it Karaka Chaturthi: ‘karaka’ is the karwa. Tradition keeps it as a day of prayer for the couple's bond and the family's wellbeing.
How the date is decided
Shastra (Dharmasindhu): the Krishna Chaturthi of Ashvina (purnimanta Kartika) is Karaka Chaturthi, and it is taken as present at moonrise. If at both moonrises, the same decision as for Sankashti Chaturthi applies:
| Chaturthi at moonrise | Day |
|---|---|
| First day only | First |
| Second day only | Second |
| Both days | First (joined to Tritiya) |
| Neither | Second |
In 2026 Karwa Chauth is Thursday, 29 October (computed for Ujjain; the same day across India). Moonrise time differs by city; our calendar shows yours.
The story: tradition / folk story
Karwa Chauth's stories are folk tradition. The best known is Veeravati's: the beloved sister of seven brothers kept the fast for the first time and grew faint with hunger. Her brothers lit a lamp behind a tree and showed her a ‘moon’ through a sieve, and she broke her fast. Later she learned the truth, and by keeping the vrat with devotion through the year she restored her home's happiness. Another story is of a woman named Karwa, whose courage protected her husband.
We keep these as tradition. Their heart is not fear but devotion, patience and standing by each other.
How families celebrate
Before dawn the mother-in-law or an elder woman gives sargi: fruit, nuts, sweets, vermicelli. Through the day, mehendi and dressing up, and women sit together passing plates around as the story is told. In the evening the karwa is filled with water for the puja. When the moon rises, it is seen through a sieve, then the husband; water is offered, and the fast ends with a sip of water from the husband's hand.
Some keep it simply, some as a big celebration. In Maharashtra and the south this Chaturthi is usually kept as Sankashti.
A simple puja
- Before dawn, a light sargi: fruit, nuts, water.
- Fast through the day, as your health allows (see below).
- In the evening, a picture of Karwa Mata or Gauri on the wall or paper, a clay karwa filled with water, a lamp, roli, rice and a sweet.
- Remember Gauri, Ganesha, Shiva and the moon; hear the story.
- At moonrise, offer the karwa's water to the moon, then water and food.
No paid puja is needed.
Health and safety
Fasting and health: keep the fast as your health allows. With diabetes, blood pressure, pregnancy, breastfeeding, older age or regular medicine, a lighter form (fruit, milk, or one simple meal) is also part of the tradition. Don't change medicine timings. For health, the doctor comes first; no vrat replaces that.
A waterless fast is not right for everyone; with diabetes blood sugar can drop, and in pregnancy dehydration can do harm. A form with water, fruit or milk is also part of the tradition. If you feel dizzy, anxious or weak, break the fast and talk to a doctor.
If the moon is late or clouded, tradition accepts offering at the panchang's moonrise time. This vrat is one of choice and affection, never of pressure or fear.
In ePandit
In ePandit: our calendar shows the festival day with your city's sunrise and sunset. The day is decided once, for Ujjain; your city's times are shown separately. We don't compute muhurta yet, and we never call a festival good or bad for anyone.