Festival · A fast broken at moonrise
Karwa Chauth 2026: date, tithi and muhurat
Karwa Chauth 2026 falls on Thursday, 29 October, on Krishna Chaturthi of Ashwina. The times here are for Chandigarh; choose your city to see yours.
What Karwa Chauth is
Karwa Chauth is a one-day fast kept in North India on the fourth tithi of the dark fortnight in the month that northern calendars call Kartika. Traditionally married women fast from sunrise until the Moon is seen, wishing for the wellbeing and long life of their husbands, and many husbands now fast alongside them. Women dress in their wedding finery, apply mehendi, exchange gifts of karwa pots, and gather in the evening to hear the story of Karwa Chauth.
How the date is fixed
The festival is on Krishna Chaturthi of Ashwina by the amanta count, which is Kartika Krishna Chaturthi in the purnimanta naming used in the north; the sky is the same. The day is the one on which Chaturthi is present when the Moon rises. If neither evening qualifies, the day with more Chaturthi between sunrise and moonrise is taken.
Dates for 2026 to 2028
Karwa Chauth is on Thursday, 29 October in 2026, Monday, 18 October in 2027 and Saturday, 7 October in 2028. These dates are calculated from the sky for Chandigarh, not copied from a printed calendar. It falls on Krishna Chaturthi of Ashwina by the amanta count, which the purnimanta calendars of the north name Kartika; the sky is the same.
| Year | Date | Tithi and month |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Thursday, 29 October | Krishna Chaturthi · Ashwina (amanta) / Kartika (purnimanta) |
| 2027 | Monday, 18 October | Krishna Chaturthi · Ashwina (amanta) / Kartika (purnimanta) |
| 2028 | Saturday, 7 October | Krishna Chaturthi · Ashwina (amanta) / Kartika (purnimanta) |
Muhurat for Karwa Chauth
For Chandigarh in 2026, the main time is the Fast (sunrise to moonrise): 6:35 am – 8:08 pm on Thursday, 29 October. Sunrise, sunset and the parts of the day move with the city, so the window, and sometimes the day itself, can change elsewhere. Choose your city below and the tables follow.
| Muhurat | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast (sunrise to moonrise) | 6:35 am – 8:08 pm | 6:27 am – 7:26 pm | 6:20 am – 7:58 pm |
| Moonrise | 8:08 pm | 7:26 pm | 7:58 pm |
The fast begins before sunrise with sargi, a meal prepared by the mother-in-law, and ends at moonrise: the Moon is seen through a sieve, water is offered to it, and the fast is broken with a sip of water and a bite of food from the husband’s hand. Moonrise differs by many minutes from city to city, so the time depends on the place.
Moonrise is calculated for the exact coordinates of the city with the astronomy-engine library; a city a few hundred kilometres away can see the Moon some minutes earlier or later.
A share card for the Karwa Chauth muhurat is coming. Today the app has one for Diwali only.
Questions people ask
Why does the Karwa Chauth moonrise time change from city to city?
The Moon rises when it clears the local horizon, which depends on latitude and longitude. Cities further east see it earlier. The table gives the moonrise for the city you select.
Is the fast only for married women?
Traditionally yes, but the custom is flexible. Many husbands fast too, and in some families unmarried women keep it as well. It is a personal vow, and it is fine to keep it in the way that suits you.
Why is moonrise the deciding moment?
The fast is broken only when the Moon is seen, and in the story told on the day the fast is completed at moonrise. That is why the date follows the Chaturthi that is present at moonrise.
When is Karwa Chauth in 2026, 2027 and 2028?
Karwa Chauth is on Thursday, 29 October 2026; Monday, 18 October 2027; Saturday, 7 October 2028, calculated for Chandigarh. In another city the day can differ by one when the tithi starts or ends close to the time of day the rule uses.
How does JYOTISH.info calculate Karwa Chauth?
From the sky, with the astronomy-engine library on the Lahiri sidereal zodiac: the lunar month from the Sun’s sign at the new moon, the tithi from the Moon–Sun angle, and the day part that the festival’s own rule asks for, at the city’s sunrise and sunset. Nothing is copied from a table. The rule is stated above and the full method is on the method page.
Every position on this page is calculated sidereal with the Lahiri ayanamsa from the astronomy-engine library (MIT licence). The classical texts describe tendencies; this page is for guidance and reflection, not a verdict, and no outcome is promised. How we calculate. This is the English page and the legal reference. The same page is available in Hindi. Checked October 2026.