Karwa Chauth falls on the fourth day of the dark fortnight of Kartik, nine days before Diwali. Married women across North India fast from before sunrise until the Moon rises, without food or water, for the long life of their husbands. In the evening they dress as brides, gather to hear the story, and wait on the roof for a moon that always seems to be late.
The story
The story read at the puja is of Veeravati, the only sister of seven brothers. On her first Karwa Chauth she grew faint with hunger, and her brothers, unable to bear it, lit a fire behind a tree and told her the Moon had risen. She ate; word came that her husband was dead. She kept the fast faithfully the next year and won him back.
A karwa is a small clay pot with a spout, and chauth is the fourth. The pots, filled with water or sweets, are exchanged between women during the puja.
How the day goes
- SargiA meal sent by the mother-in-law, eaten before dawn: pheni, fruit, sweets and dry fruit.
- Mehndi and solah shringarHands are hennaed the night before; on the day women wear red, bangles and the full sixteen adornments.
- The kathaIn the late afternoon women sit in a circle, pass their thalis round, and hear the story of Veeravati.
- Chand ko arghyaWhen the Moon rises it is viewed through a sieve, then the husband's face through the same sieve; water is offered to the Moon.
- Breaking the fastThe husband gives the first sip of water and the first mouthful.
Why this date
Karwa Chauth is the Chaturthi of the dark fortnight of Kartik in the northern calendar (Ashwin by the southern count). It is kept on the day Chaturthi is running at moonrise, and the fast ends at that moonrise, the time shown above for your city.
Karwa Chauth in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Friday | |
| 2026 | Thursday | |
| 2027 | Monday | |
| 2028 | Saturday | |
| 2029 | Friday | |
| 2030 | Tuesday |
More North Indian festivals
20 OctoberDussehraदशहरा
8 NovemberDiwaliदीपावली
15 NovemberChhath Pujaछठ पूजा
19 OctoberMaha Navamiमहा नवमी
19 OctoberDurga Ashtamiदुर्गा अष्टमी
24 NovemberKartik Purnimaकार्तिक पूर्णिमा
Where to see Karwa Chauth
In North India
- Chauth Mata Temple, Chauth Ka BarwaraRajasthanA hilltop temple near Sawai Madhopur to the goddess of this very fast.
- Hanuman Mandir, Connaught Place, DelhiDelhiThe pavement outside is the capital's best-known henna market, working through the night before.
- JaipurRajasthanJohari Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar sell bangles, lac and karwas for weeks.
Across India
- AmritsarPunjabPunjab keeps the fast as keenly as anywhere, with sargi before dawn and songs at the evening circle.
- AhmedabadGujaratGujarat observes the same fast under the same name.
- MumbaiMaharashtraHindi cinema took the festival round the country; its own city now keeps it on apartment terraces.