Karva Chauth 2026: Date, Sargi, Puja Thali and Vidhi Explained

Karva Chauth 2026 falls on Thursday 29 October. Married women, and in many families unmarried women and husbands too, keep a fast from sunrise to moonrise for the long life and wellbeing of their partner. The day begins with sargi eaten before dawn, continues with the fast and an evening katha and puja with the karva (clay pot), and ends when the moon is seen through a sieve and the fast is broken. Moonrise time varies by city, so check your local timing on the day.

Here is how each part works, what to put on the thali, and how practice differs between regions and families.

What Karva Chauth means

The name is simple. Karva is the small clay pot with a spout used in the puja, and chauth means the fourth day. Karva Chauth falls on the fourth day after the full moon in the month of Kartik, as the North Indian calendar reckons it, and in 2026 it comes ten days before Diwali on Sunday 8 November.

It is kept most widely in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu, and by families from these regions wherever they now live. The fast is dedicated to Devi Parvati as Gauri, and in Rajasthan and parts of Uttar Pradesh to Chauth Mata, with Shiva and Ganesha often worshipped alongside.

For many women the day is as much about community as about the fast. Mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, sisters, neighbours and friends gather in the evening, dressed in their festive best, to hear the katha together.

Sargi: what goes in it and when to eat it

Sargi is the meal eaten before sunrise that carries a woman through the day. In Punjabi and many North Indian families it is prepared or sent by the mother-in-law as a blessing. If she lives far away, the woman's own family, or the woman herself, prepares it.

A traditional sargi often includes:

• Pheni or seviyan (fine vermicelli), cooked in milk or eaten with it
• Mathri and other dry snacks
• Fresh fruit
• Almonds, cashews, raisins and dates
• A sweet such as a laddoo or halwa
• Coconut water, milk or plain water
• Paratha or a simple sabzi in some homes
• Shringar items such as bangles, sindoor, bindi and mehendi, and sometimes a saree or suit, given with the food

What goes into sargi is a matter of family custom. Many families prefer foods that feel filling rather than very salty or fried. Eat unhurriedly and finish before sunrise.

In some families the woman's mother also sends a gift, often called baya, with sweets, dry fruit and clothes, which the daughter-in-law presents to her mother-in-law in the evening.

The fast: nirjala or not

In many families Karva Chauth is kept as a nirjala fast, with no food or water from sunrise until the moon is seen. Others allow water, tea, milk or fruit, and plenty of families have changed their rules over the generations. There is no single correct version.

Health comes first. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic, unwell or on regular medication, speak to your doctor before fasting and follow their advice, even if it means a lighter fast. Most elders will tell you the intention behind the fast matters far more than how strict it is. Many husbands now fast alongside their wives, which makes the day easier to share.

The evening katha and puja

In the late afternoon or evening, women gather at home, at a relative's house, in a temple or in a community hall. Many dress as brides would, in a red, maroon or bright saree or suit, with bangles, sindoor and mehendi applied the day before.

The puja setup

An image of Gauri or Karva Mata is placed on a clean cloth. In some homes it is a printed Karva Chauth picture, in others a small idol of Parvati, and in some families Gauri is shaped from clay. Each woman brings her own thali with a karva filled with water, a diya and her offerings. Many families end the puja with a short aarti; our guide to doing aarti the right way covers the basics.

The katha

An elder or a priest tells the Karva Chauth katha. The best-known version is the story of Queen Veeravati, whose brothers could not bear to see her hungry and tricked her into breaking her fast with a false moon; misfortune followed, and her devotion in keeping the fast faithfully set things right. Other tellings include the story of Karva, a devoted wife who saved her husband from a crocodile, and of Savitri, who won back Satyavan's life from Yama. Families tell the stories in their own way.

Passing the thalis

In many Punjabi gatherings, women sit in a circle and pass their thalis from hand to hand, traditionally for seven rounds, while singing the Karva Chauth songs that recount the day's customs. In Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, women more often exchange karvas with each other or with their mother-in-law. After the katha, women touch the feet of elders and receive their blessings.

What goes on a Karva Chauth puja thali

• Karva: a clay pot with a spout (metal in some families), filled with water, sometimes with grains or sweets inside, and covered with a small lid
• Diya: a clay or brass lamp with ghee or oil and a cotton wick
• Chhalni: a sieve, through which the moon and then the husband are seen
• Roli or kumkum and akshat for tilak
• Sindoor for shringar and the offering
• Sweets such as mathri, laddoo or halwa, as offering and prasad
• Water in a lota or glass for arghya and for breaking the fast
• Fresh flowers and a little incense
• Kalawa thread to tie on the karva
• Mehendi and bangles, in families where they are placed on the thali as part of the shringar offering
• A small gift or baya for the mother-in-law, where that is the custom

For an item-by-item explanation of what a puja thali holds and why, see our puja thali samagri checklist.

Setting up the thali

• Choose a steel or brass thali large enough to hold the karva and diya without crowding.
• Line it with a small red cloth or leave it plain, and draw a swastik or simple motif in roli at the centre if your family does.
• Place the karva at the back, the diya to one side, the chhalni resting against the rim, and small bowls of roli, rice and sweets in front.
• Decorate the karva with kalawa, a little paint or lace. Many women do this the night before.
• Keep matches, spare wicks and ghee in a separate small box rather than on the thali, so a flowing dupatta is never close to an open flame.

If you would rather not gather everything piece by piece, our puja samagri range has the basics, and Samagri Seva can put together an occasion list for you.

The moonrise ritual and breaking the fast

When the moon rises, women go out to a terrace, balcony or open space with their thali. Moonrise time differs from city to city, so check the local time for your own city on 29 October rather than relying on a time you saw quoted for somewhere else. A common sequence:

• Light the diya. Some women place it in the chhalni; others hold it beside the sieve.
• Look at the moon through the chhalni.
• Offer arghya by pouring water from the karva or lota towards the moon with a short prayer.
• Turn and look at your husband's face through the same sieve.
• Your husband offers you the first sip of water and the first bite of sweet, and the fast is broken.
• Touch the feet of elders for their blessing, then sit down to the evening meal.

If clouds hide the moon, families differ: some wait, and some go by the moonrise time in the local panchang, as their elders or priest advise. Hold the lit thali away from your clothes, especially on a crowded terrace.

Regional variations

• Punjab and Haryana: sargi from the mother-in-law, the thali-passing circle with songs, and baya.
• Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh: worship of Chauth Mata or Gauri, exchanging karvas, and in some families a wall drawing of the Karva Chauth story.
• Andhra Pradesh and Telangana: a separate but similar moonrise fast, Atla Tadde, is kept by women around the same time of year.
• Couples everywhere: many husbands now fast too, and some unmarried women keep the fast for a future partner.

Gifts for Karva Chauth

Gifts are woven through the day: the shringar in the sargi, the baya for the mother-in-law, and often a gift from husband to wife after the fast. Useful, lasting gifts tend to be remembered longer than elaborate packaging.

• A handloom saree for the evening puja, in red, maroon or a family colour. Browse handloom sarees, and if you are new to handloom, our handloom saree buying guide explains what to look for.
• A brass puja thali set she can use every Karva Chauth, and for Diwali ten days later.
• Something handmade, such as a set of diyas or a small keepsake, from our handmade gifts.

If you are gifting to several families or a team through October and November, for Karva Chauth, Bhai Dooj or a wedding in the season, our Beyond Diwali hampers collect gifts for occasions around the main festival. Most are made for group and corporate orders, and every hamper is priced on quote.

Karva Chauth opens the busiest stretch of the festive calendar, with Dhanteras on 6 November and Diwali on 8 November. Our guide to Diwali's five days will help you plan what comes next.

Frequently asked questions

When is Karva Chauth in 2026?

Karva Chauth is on Thursday 29 October 2026. The fast runs from sunrise to moonrise, and moonrise time varies by city, so check the local time for where you live on the day.

What should be eaten in sargi?

Traditionally pheni or seviyan with milk, fruit, dry fruit, mathri and a sweet, with water or coconut water. The exact menu is family custom. Eat before sunrise and choose what keeps you comfortable through the day.

Can I drink water during the Karva Chauth fast?

Many families keep a nirjala fast with no water, but many others allow water, tea or fruit. If you are pregnant, unwell, diabetic or on medication, talk to your doctor first and follow their advice; health comes before the rules of any fast.

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

The chhalni is part of the ritual in most North Indian families: the woman looks at the moon and then at her husband's face through it. Explanations differ between families and tellings of the katha, and many simply follow it as their mothers and grandmothers did.

What goes in a Karva Chauth thali?

A karva filled with water, a diya, a chhalni, roli, akshat, sindoor, sweets, water for arghya, flowers and kalawa. Many families add mehendi, bangles or a small gift for the mother-in-law.

Can unmarried women keep the Karva Chauth fast?

Yes, many do, often for a future partner, and some families have long encouraged it. Other families keep the fast only after marriage, so follow what feels right in yours.