Karva Chauth

When it falls

Kartik Krishna Chaturthi (the fourth, until moonrise)

• 2026 · Thursday, 29 October 2026
• 2027 · Monday, 18 October 2027

Significance

Karva Chauth is a day-long fast traditionally kept by wives for the long life and well-being of their husbands — though it has widened, in many families, into a fast kept for one another. The name joins karva (an earthen pot) and chauth (the fourth lunar day).

Its emotional centre is the moonrise: the fast, held without food or water since before dawn, is broken only when the moon is sighted — usually viewed first through a sieve, then the spouse’s face viewed the same way, a small ritual of seeing-clearly before the day’s first sip of water.

How it’s observed

The day begins before dawn with sargi (a pre-fast meal), and runs without food or water until moonrise. Women often gather in the afternoon to hear the Karva Chauth story; at night, the moon is greeted, water offered to it, and the fast broken. Henna, red dress, and the gathering of friends give the day its festival warmth.

The timing, explained

Karva Chauth falls on Krishna Chaturthi — the fourth day of the dark fortnight — in the month of Kartik, about nine days before Diwali. The fast ends at moonrise, which falls late on the fourth tithi, so the wait is genuinely a long one.

Keep reading

• What is Paksha?
• What is Tithi?
• See it on the calendar
• All festivals