Karwa Chauth 2026 (29 October): Moonrise Time by City, Puja Muhurat & Vidhi

Last updated: 21 October 2026 · By Acharya Alok Pandit, Divine Hindu, Jayanagar 3rd Block East, Bengaluru 560011 · ~26 min read

When is Karwa Chauth 2026?

Karwa Chauth 2026 (करवा चौथ, ਕਰਵਾ ਚੌਥ, કરવા ચોથ) is on Thursday, 29 October 2026. It is the Chaturthi, the fourth day of the waning fortnight, of the month the North Indian purnimanta calendar calls Kartik. Families in Maharashtra, Gujarat and the South, who count months by the amanta system, will find the same day listed as Ashwin Krishna Chaturthi; the month's name changes, the day does not. It comes four days after the Sharad Purnima night of 25 October and ten days before Diwali on 8 November.

The name explains the day. Karwa (or karva) is the small spouted pot from which water is offered to the moon, and chauth is the fourth. Drik Panchang notes that the dharmashastra digests Dharmasindhu, Nirnayasindhu and Vratraj record it as Karaka Chaturthi; Karva Chauth and Karwa Chauth are the same vrat. Every Krishna Chaturthi of the year is also a Sankashti Chaturthi for Ganesha; this one is called Vakratunda Sankashti, which is why many families open the Karwa Chauth puja with a prayer to Ganesha.

If the date feels late, it is: Karwa Chauth fell on 10 October in 2025. The extra lunar month inserted earlier this year, explained in our Adhik Maas 2026 guide, pushes Karwa Chauth, Dhanteras and Diwali about three weeks later in 2026.

What time does the moon rise on Karwa Chauth 2026 in your city?

On Thursday 29 October 2026 the moon rises between about 7:23 PM in Guwahati and 9:08 PM in Kochi. Delhi NCR sees it at 8:16 to 8:18 PM, Punjab and Chandigarh at 8:12 to 8:18 PM, Lucknow at 8:06 PM and Mumbai at 9:00 PM. In Hindi searches the same question is करवा चौथ 2026 चाँद निकलने का समय; the answer for Delhi is रात 8:17 बजे. The table gives the figures for 35 cities, with sunrise (when the fast begins) and sunset (when the puja window opens).

All times IST on Thursday 29 October 2026. Moonrise in Drik Panchang's convention (centre of the disc, no refraction); the figure for every city without an asterisk matches Drik's published time. * Our Swiss Ephemeris calculation in the same convention. "Top edge" is the convention used by AstroSage, Prokerala and many apps. Sunrise and sunset are for the upper limb with refraction, the standard almanac definition. Length of fast runs from sunrise to the Drik-convention moonrise.

Why two moonrise columns. Almanacs do not agree on what "moonrise" means, and that, not error, is why one app says 8:12 and another 8:17 for Delhi. Drik Panchang times the moment the centre of the moon's disc reaches a level horizon, ignoring the bending of light by the atmosphere. AstroSage, Prokerala and many phone apps time the first appearance of the moon's top edge, with that bending included, which comes four to five minutes earlier. We print Drik's figure as the main one and the top-edge figure beside it, so you can match whichever app you use.

When you will actually see it. Neither figure is the moment the moon clears your neighbour's roof. On Karwa Chauth 2026 the moon rises in the east-north-east, about 30 degrees north of due east, and it is a bright waning moon about 84 per cent lit, not a thin crescent. By our calculation for Delhi it stands about 2 degrees above the horizon ten minutes after Drik's time, about 4 degrees after twenty minutes, 6 degrees after half an hour and 11 degrees after an hour. A six-storey building some 200 metres to your east blocks roughly 5 degrees of sky, so behind it the moon appears about half an hour after the printed time. Low haze in late October can add more. Find an open eastern view, and send someone up a few minutes early.

What is the Karwa Chauth 2026 puja muhurat?

The Karwa Chauth 2026 puja muhurat in New Delhi is 5:38 PM to 6:56 PM on 29 October, by Drik Panchang. The window begins at sunset. Our own calculation reproduces Drik's figure exactly when the window is taken as sunset plus one-tenth of the night (sunset to the next sunrise), which in late October is about an hour and a quarter. AstroSage prints 5:38 PM to 6:45 PM for New Delhi; its window matches sunset plus one-tenth of the day instead, so it closes eleven minutes earlier. Families who begin the katha at sunset are inside either reading.

For other cities, the window opens at local sunset, given in the table above, and lasts about an hour and a quarter by Drik's rule. The puja and the katha belong to this window, before the moon is up; the arghya to the moon is a separate rite that waits for moonrise. Women who cannot gather in the muhurat because of work or travel traditionally hear the katha when they can and still offer the arghya at moonrise.

When is Karwa Chauth 2026 in the USA, Canada, UK and the Gulf?

In the USA and Canada Karwa Chauth 2026 is on Wednesday, 28 October; in the UK, Europe, the Gulf, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand it is Thursday, 29 October, the same day as India. The tithi is a single moment worldwide: Chaturthi begins at 3:36 PM on 28 October in New York (12:36 PM in California) and ends at 12:39 PM on 29 October New York time. So the North American moonrise on Wednesday evening falls inside Chaturthi, and Thursday's does not.

Local clock time. Rows without an asterisk match Drik Panchang's figures as published for those cities. * Our calculation in Drik's convention; for these cities we give the sunset from which the puja window opens rather than a muhurat we could not confirm from a second source.

The UK and Europe are a special case this year. In London, Chaturthi begins at 7:36 PM on Wednesday 28 October, after that evening's moonrise at about 5:34 PM, and ends at 4:39 PM on Thursday 29 October, before Thursday's moonrise at 6:31 PM. Neither evening has Chaturthi at moonrise. Drik Panchang's London page keeps Thursday 29 October, the day Chaturthi holds from sunrise, with the fast from 6:49 AM to moonrise at 6:31 PM and the puja window from 4:39 to 6:04 PM; diaspora calendars we checked do the same. If your temple announces otherwise, follow your temple. Remember too that British clocks went back on 25 October, so India is now five and a half hours ahead of London, while American clocks change only on 1 November, so the US times above are still daylight-saving time.

What is sargi, and when should it be eaten?

Sargi is the meal a fasting woman eats before sunrise on Karwa Chauth, and by custom it is given by her mother-in-law, a blessing from the elder woman of the house to the younger, sent the day before or set out that morning. In Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, where the word is most at home, the sargi thali is the emotional opening of the day. Where the mother-in-law is not living or lives far away, the sargi is prepared by the woman herself, sent by her own mother or given by another elder, and none of that lessens it.

A sargi thali traditionally holds fresh fruit (banana, apple, pomegranate, papaya), soaked dry fruit and nuts for slow energy, a sweet (in Punjab almost always pheni or seviyan in milk), a light cooked dish such as paratha with curd that is not spicy, salty or fried, coconut and water, and the suhaag items sent as the mother-in-law's blessing: sindoor, bindi, bangles, mehndi and a red dupatta or saree.

When is sargi eaten? In the pre-dawn hours, and finished before sunrise, because the fast is reckoned from sunrise. On 29 October 2026 sunrise is at 6:31 AM in Delhi, 6:35 AM in Chandigarh, 6:34 AM in Jaipur, 6:14 AM in Lucknow, 6:37 AM in Mumbai, 6:12 AM in Bengaluru, 6:02 AM in Chennai and 5:39 AM in Kolkata (Drik Panchang), so most households eat in the hour or two before that. Eat slowly, drink water generously, and go easy on tea and coffee, which tend to increase thirst later. After sargi the fasting woman traditionally offers a short prayer and takes nothing more until the moon is seen.

What are the rules of the Karwa Chauth vrat, and who is exempt?

The classical form of the vrat is nirjala: no food and no water from sunrise to moonrise, which in 2026 is 13 hours 46 minutes in Delhi and 14 hours 23 minutes in Mumbai. The day is spent without heavy work, harsh words or argument; the fasting woman bathes, dresses in bridal colours and applies mehndi; and the household stays vegetarian, with no onion or garlic in many homes. The feri song sung at the evening puja names what is set aside for the day: no spinning at the wheel, no coaxing anyone out of a sulk and no waking anyone who sleeps; many families extend this to sewing and cutting cloth. The fast is broken only after the moon has been seen and the arghya offered.

Who traditionally keeps it. Married women, for the long life and well-being of their husbands. Many husbands now fast alongside their wives, nirjala or with water, and unmarried and engaged women keep it in many families too, usually in the gentler phalahar form with water, fruit and milk.

Who is exempt. A vrat is never meant to cause harm. Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, unwell, diabetic, elderly, recovering from illness or on regular medication traditionally keep a modified fast with water, fruit, milk or a light meal, or have the puja done while eating normally, and the intent of the vrat is understood to be preserved. Menstruating women in many families take part in the katha and the moon ritual but do not handle the karwa or the thali; customs differ, so follow your household. If you have any medical condition, speak to your doctor before attempting a waterless fast, and stop at once if you feel dizzy, faint or confused. A fast kept within your capacity is not a lesser fast.

What is the Karwa Chauth katha?

The Karwa Chauth katha is the story told aloud at the evening puja, and the most widely told is that of Queen Veeravati, from which the rules of the vrat are drawn. Veeravati, the only sister of seven brothers, came home to her parents' house for her first Karwa Chauth after marrying a king, and kept the fast nirjala from sunrise. By evening she was faint with hunger and thirst. Unable to bear it, her brothers climbed a peepal tree and held a lamp behind a sieve, so that from the courtyard it looked like the risen moon. Veeravati offered her arghya to the false moon and sat down to eat.

With the first morsel she sneezed; with the second she found a hair in the food; with the third came word that the king was dead. On the road to his kingdom she met Indrani, the wife of Indra, who told her she had broken the vrat before the true moon and must keep it again in full, with the Chauth fast of every month through the year. When she kept Karwa Chauth once more and sighted the true moon, her husband returned to life.

Two other stories are read in many homes. In one, a wife named Karva bound with cotton thread the crocodile that had seized her husband and faced down Yama, who yielded to her devotion. In another, Draupadi, anxious for Arjuna during his penance in the Nilgiris, was advised by Krishna to keep this vrat, as Parvati is said to have kept it for Shiva. These are traditional accounts handed down in the community rather than fixed history; the version your mother-in-law tells is the one to keep.

How is the Karwa Chauth puja done at home?

The Karwa Chauth puja is done in the evening muhurat, after sunset and well before the moon is due, usually with the women of several households gathered in one courtyard or terrace, each with her own thali and karwa. The principal deity is Goddess Parvati, worshipped as Chauth Mata or Gaura, with Shiva, Ganesha and Kartikeya beside her. The sequence below is the common North Indian household form; follow your family's order where it differs.

1. Prepare the space. A clean wall or a low wooden chowki is set facing east or north. On it goes a picture of Chauth Mata or, in much of Uttar Pradesh, a Gaur Mata shaped by hand from clay or cow dung and dressed in a scrap of red cloth with a bindi and bangles.
2. Fill the karwa. The karwa is filled with water, a few grains of wheat and sometimes a coin, its spout stoppered with dough, its lid heaped with sugar or wheat, and a kalava thread tied round its neck.
3. Lay out the thali. Roli, kumkum, akshat, a small diya, agarbatti, flowers, a sweet, a piece of fruit, a glass of water and the sieve, with the karwa beside it. Each woman's baya, the gift for her mother-in-law, is set out too. Our guide to what goes on a puja thali shows a standard arrangement.
4. Invoke Ganesha and Gauri. A short prayer to Ganesha opens the puja, often Om Gan Ganapataye Namah. Chauth Mata is then offered roli, akshat, flowers, the sweet and a lit ghee or oil diya, and the fasting woman prays in her own words for her husband and household.
5. The katha. The eldest woman tells the story of Veeravati while the others listen with a few grains of akshat in the hand, released at the end.
6. The feri. The women sit in a circle and pass their thalis from hand to hand for seven rounds, as in Punjab, singing the Karwa Chauth song whose verses list what is set aside during the vrat. In Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan the karwas themselves are exchanged seven times.
7. Aarti and the touching of feet. An aarti to Chauth Mata closes the puja. Each woman touches the feet of her mother-in-law or the eldest woman present and hands her the baya.

Many families say a short Sanskrit verse at the arghya or when the karwa is given away. It is printed in Karwa Chauth vrat booklets and quoted, in a slightly different spelling, by Webdunia: karakaṁ kṣīra-sampūrṇaṁ toya-pūrṇam athāpi vā, dadāmi ratna-saṁyuktaṁ ciraṁ jīvatu me patiḥ (करकं क्षीरसम्पूर्णं तोयपूर्णमथापि वा। ददामि रत्नसंयुक्तं चिरं जीवतु मे पतिः॥). In our translation: "I offer this pot, filled with milk or else with water, together with a gem; may my husband live long." The puja can equally be done alone at home with the same thali and a picture of Chauth Mata, the katha read from a book or a phone; what tradition asks for is the intent, the karwa and the story, not the crowd.

Karwa Chauth samagri checklist

Most of this is already in the house: an earthen or brass karwa with lid, wheat, a coin and kalava, with a second karwa in Uttar Pradesh for the exchange; a puja thali with roli, kumkum, haldi, akshat, chandan, a diya with wicks and ghee, agarbatti, camphor, flowers, a sweet and fruit; the sieve or channi, often edged with red cloth and kept from year to year; a picture of Chauth Mata or clay for a Gaur Mata, with a red cloth, bindi and bangles for her; the baya for the mother-in-law; and a lota and a glass of water for the moon.

How is the fast broken at moonrise?

The fast is broken after the woman has seen the moon through a sieve, offered water to it and looked at her husband through the same sieve; he gives her the first sip of water and the first bite.

Waiting for the moon. A few minutes before the printed moonrise the family goes up to the terrace with the thali, the karwa, a lit diya and the sieve. On Karwa Chauth the moon is three days past full, a large, bright disc with one edge shaved off, rising in the east-north-east; expect to wait for it to clear buildings and haze.

Through the sieve. When the moon is seen, the woman holds up the sieve with the diya beside it and looks at the moon through the mesh. Tradition gives several meanings: the sieve softens the moon's light onto the lamp and so onto her; it recalls the false moon of Veeravati's brothers; and the mesh is a veil, the moon greeted as an elder is. She offers a short prayer to Chandra for her husband's long life.

The arghya. Water from the karwa or a lota is poured towards the moon, often with a few grains of rice and a flower; in many families the karwa is tilted, or the sieve turned, seven times. She then lowers the sieve and turns to look at her husband's face through it: the moon first, then the person for whom the fast was kept.

Breaking the fast. The husband gives her the first sip of water, in Punjab often from the karwa itself, and then a sweet or a piece of fruit. She touches his feet and those of the elders present, and the household sits down to a festive, sattvic meal. After fourteen hours without water, sip the first glass rather than drinking it down, and begin with something light.

How is Karwa Chauth kept across India?

Karwa Chauth belongs above all to the north and north-west, and it changes its accent as it travels. In Punjab and Haryana it is the biggest women's festival of the year: the sargi comes from the mother-in-law, the bride's parents send the baya to the in-laws, the women gather for the seven rounds of the thali, and the henna is as much a part of the day as the fast. In Uttar Pradesh the clay Gaur Mata, the exchange of karwas and the katha carry the weight. Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Himachal and Uttarakhand keep the North Indian form, and the festival has travelled with families to every metro and to the diaspora.

In Rajasthan, home of Gangaur and Teej, the goddess has her own hilltop shrine. The Rajasthan Devasthan Department's temple profile records the Chauth Mata temple at Chauth ka Barwara in Sawai Madhopur district, reached by about 700 steps and founded, by its account, in Samvat 1451 by Bhim Singh Chauhan; the village took its name from the goddess. Its great fair begins on the Chaturthi of Magha and runs for fifteen days, and newly married couples visit through the year for blessings. Before the arghya in Rajasthan, Wikipedia records, the fasting woman is asked "Dhapi ki ni dhapi?" (are you satisfied?) and answers "Jal se dhapi, suhaag se na dhapi": the water has satisfied her, but of her suhaag, her married good fortune, she can never have enough.

In Maharashtra and the South the same Chaturthi is kept mainly as Sankashti Chaturthi for Ganesha. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana keep their own vrat for a husband's well-being, Atla Tadde (అట్ల తద్ది), on the Tritiya a day earlier, Wednesday 28 October 2026, broken after moonrise with attlu, the small dosas that give it its name. Hartalika Teej and Vat Savitri share the same spirit.

What do married women wear on Karwa Chauth, and why?

A woman traditionally dresses on Karwa Chauth as she dressed as a bride, because the vrat is understood as a renewal of the marriage. Red, maroon, pink and orange are the customary colours, and in many families the wedding saree or lehenga comes out for the evening; black and white are traditionally avoided. Around the outfit go as many of the solah shringar, the sixteen adornments of a married woman, as the family keeps: sindoor in the parting and a bindi, mehndi applied the evening before, the mangalsutra, red and green bangles or the Punjabi bridal chooda, toe-rings and anklets, the nath and maang tikka, kajal, a gajra of jasmine or marigold, and a red chunari over the head for the puja and the moon ritual, very often the one sent with the sargi. None of this is compulsory; many women keep the vrat in a simple red suit with sindoor and bangles.

What gifts are given on Karwa Chauth?

Gifts on Karwa Chauth move in several directions, and each has a name. From the mother-in-law to the daughter-in-law comes the sargi, with a saree or suit, bangles, sindoor and often a piece of jewellery. From the daughter-in-law to the mother-in-law, after the puja, goes the baya: sweets and mathri, fruit, a saree, bangles and some money, handed over with the touching of feet (see our note on gifts for elders). In the first year of marriage the bride's parents send a baya too.

From the husband, the newest custom, a gift follows the breaking of the fast: jewellery most often. Families who want a devotional meaning sometimes choose a stone linked with her rashi, as a matter of personal faith rather than any promise of outcome. Pukhraj (yellow sapphire) is traditionally associated with Guru (Jupiter), the graha Jyotish links with marriage; a pearl belongs to Chandra, the moon of this very night; a rashi bracelet is chosen by her sign; and a 2 Mukhi Rudraksha is traditionally linked with Ardhanarishvara, the united form of Shiva and Parvati. Before choosing a stone, read who should not wear which gemstone, and keep in mind the customs in our guide to what not to gift.

How we checked these dates

Every date and time on this page was checked against at least two independent sources; where they differ, both readings are printed with the reason.

• Date and tithi: Drik Panchang's New Delhi page (Chaturthi 1:06 AM to 10:09 PM) against Prokerala's tithi box and our Swiss Ephemeris computation (1:07 AM to 10:10 PM); AstroSage gives the same day. Prokerala's festival listing of 30 October conflicts with its own tithi timings and with every other source, so we treat it as a listing error.
• Moonrise: our computation in Drik's convention reproduces Drik's published figure to the minute in all eleven cities where we could read it; the other cities are our computation in the same convention. The top-edge column follows AstroSage (8:11 PM for New Delhi against our 8:12) and Prokerala.
• Puja muhurat: Drik's 5:38 to 6:56 PM for New Delhi, and its New York, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco and London windows, match our computation to the minute; AstroSage's 5:38 to 6:45 PM is printed alongside.
• Diaspora dates: Drik's London page and Drik-derived North American listings, against our tithi-at-moonrise check for each city.
• Regional practice: Drik's Karwa Chauth notes, the Rajasthan Devasthan Department's temple profile, Wikipedia and Drik's Telugu calendar.

Sources:

• Drik Panchang: Karwa Chauth 2026 (New Delhi); London; Karwa Chauth, Karaka Chaturthi notes; Atla Tadde 2026
• Prokerala: Karwa Chauth 2026 (tithi timings; festival listing discussed above)
• AstroSage: Karva Chauth 2026 muhurat and moonrise for New Delhi
• HinduLab and Daanyam, for Drik city figures reproduced in one place
• Swiss Ephemeris, the astronomical library used for our own computation
• Devasthan Department, Government of Rajasthan: Mandir Shri Chauth Mata, Chauth ka Barwara
• Wikipedia: Karva Chauth; कार्तिक कृष्ण चतुर्थी (Hindi Wikipedia); Atla Tadde
• Webdunia: the karwa verse; The Economic Times explainer (via inkl), for the 28 October reading

What comes next

Three days after Karwa Chauth, mothers keep Ahoi Ashtami on Sunday 1 November, broken at the sighting of the stars rather than the moon, and in many homes the same thali and karwa serve. Dhanteras follows on Friday 6 November. The Chaturdashi lamps are lit on Saturday 7 November and the Narak Chaturdashi bath is taken before sunrise on Sunday 8 November, the evening of Diwali Lakshmi Puja, whose city-wise windows are in our muhurat guide. Govardhan Puja comes on Tuesday 10 November and Bhai Dooj on Wednesday 11 November. Chhath Puja runs from 13 to 16 November, Tulsi Vivah falls on 21 November, and Kartik Purnima on 24 November brings Dev Diwali at the Varanasi ghats. The month's lamps and observances are in our Kartik month 2026 guide, the fasting days in the Ekadashi 2026 list and the Purnima and Amavasya 2026 list, and the whole year in the Hindu festival calendar 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Karwa Chauth in 2026?

Karwa Chauth 2026 is on Thursday, 29 October, Kartik Krishna Chaturthi. By Drik Panchang the Chaturthi runs from 1:06 AM to 10:09 PM that day, so it is current at moonrise everywhere in India. In the USA and Canada it is a day earlier, Wednesday, 28 October.

Is Karwa Chauth on 28, 29 or 30 October 2026?

In India it is Thursday, 29 October. The 28th is the North American date and the evening of Atla Tadde in the Telugu states. Prokerala's festival page shows the 30th, but Chaturthi ends at 10:09 PM on the 29th, before Friday's moonrise. Drik Panchang, AstroSage and our calculation give the 29th.

What time will the moon rise on Karwa Chauth 2026?

On 29 October 2026 the moon rises at 8:17 PM in New Delhi, 8:12 PM in Chandigarh, 8:28 PM in Jaipur, 8:06 PM in Lucknow, 7:47 PM in Kolkata, 8:44 PM in Chennai, 8:55 PM in Bengaluru and 9:00 PM in Mumbai, by Drik Panchang. Allow extra minutes for buildings and haze.

What is the Karwa Chauth 2026 puja muhurat?

In New Delhi it is 5:38 PM to 6:56 PM on 29 October by Drik Panchang, sunset plus one-tenth of the night; AstroSage prints 5:38 to 6:45 PM. Elsewhere the window opens at local sunset and lasts about an hour and a quarter. The arghya waits for moonrise.

Why does my app show a different moonrise time?

Almanacs define moonrise differently. Drik Panchang times the centre of the moon's disc, without atmospheric refraction; AstroSage, Prokerala and many apps time the first glimpse of the top edge, with refraction, four to five minutes earlier. For Delhi that is 8:17 PM against about 8:12 PM.

When is Karwa Chauth 2026 in the USA, Canada and the UK?

In the USA and Canada it is Wednesday, 28 October 2026, with moonrise at 7:35 PM in New York, 7:45 PM in Toronto and 7:27 PM in Chicago. The UK keeps Thursday, 29 October, with moonrise at 6:31 PM in London by Drik Panchang.

What time should sargi be eaten on Karwa Chauth 2026?

Sargi is finished before sunrise, because the fast is counted from sunrise. On 29 October 2026 sunrise is 6:31 AM in Delhi, 6:37 AM in Mumbai, 6:12 AM in Bengaluru and 5:39 AM in Kolkata, so most families eat in the hour or two before that.

Which god is worshipped on Karwa Chauth?

Goddess Parvati, worshipped as Chauth Mata or Gaura, is the principal deity, with Shiva, Ganesha and Kartikeya beside her. Chandra, the moon, receives the arghya. Because the day is also Vakratunda Sankashti Chaturthi, many families begin with a prayer to Ganesha.

Can unmarried girls keep Karwa Chauth?

Yes, in many families unmarried and engaged women keep the vrat, praying for a good match or for the fiancé's well-being. It is usually kept in the gentler phalahar form with water and fruit, with the katha and puja in full. Follow your household's practice.

Can you drink water during the Karwa Chauth fast?

In the classical nirjala form, no food or water is taken from sunrise until the moon is seen. Women who are pregnant, nursing, unwell, elderly, diabetic or on medication traditionally keep a modified fast with water, fruit or milk; consult a doctor before any waterless fast.

What if the moon is not visible on Karwa Chauth?

If cloud, haze or buildings hide the moon, many families wait a reasonable time after their city's printed moonrise, then offer the arghya towards the east-north-east, where the moon has risen, and break the fast. Some look at a live image of the moon from a clearer city.

Why is the moon seen through a sieve on Karwa Chauth?

Tradition gives several meanings. The sieve is said to soften the moon's light onto the diya beside it; it recalls the false moon of the Veeravati katha and marks the true one; and its mesh is a veil, the moon greeted as an elder is. The husband is then seen through it.

The thali for the evening

The evening puja, the katha and the moon ritual all happen around one plate: roli and akshat, the diya, the sweet, the glass of water and the sieve, with the karwa beside it. A brass puja thali is traditionally used for this and kept for the Kartik fasts that follow, from Ahoi Ashtami to the Diwali puja; if your family does not have one set aside, our brass puja thali collection has the kind many households keep for the season.

Times are IST unless stated and shift with your location. Moonrise is given in Drik Panchang's convention with the top-edge figure alongside; the moon may take several more minutes to clear buildings and haze. Customs vary by family and region, and nothing here promises any material or spiritual result. This is not medical advice; consult a doctor before a waterless fast. Confirm your own observance with your family purohit.