Vrat and Festival Guide 2026

Karwa Chauth 2026: Date in USA and India, Moonrise Times and Vrat Rules

Karwa Chauth falls on Wednesday 28 October 2026 in the United States and on Thursday 29 October 2026 in India. The fast is kept on the day when Krishna Chaturthi prevails at sunset, and it is broken after moonrise, so both the date and the moonrise time change with your city. Below are the moonrise times for nine major cities, the Chaturthi tithi window, the vrat rules, and the reason the date differs between regions.

Moonrise timesWhy the date differsVrat rulesFAQ

Moonrise times by city

The fast is broken after sighting the Moon and offering arghya to it. The moonrise times below are computed for each city with the same astronomy engine used across this site. Two computation methods are used on this site and they can differ by up to about ten minutes, so treat your city time as a close guide and start watching the sky a few minutes early.

CityFast dateMoonrise
Los AngelesWed, 28 Oct 20267:53 PM PDT
New YorkWed, 28 Oct 20267:23 PM EDT
ChicagoWed, 28 Oct 20267:15 PM CDT
HoustonWed, 28 Oct 20268:31 PM CDT
TorontoWed, 28 Oct 20267:32 PM EDT
LondonThu, 29 Oct 20266:13 PM GMT
DelhiThu, 29 Oct 20268:07 PM IST
MumbaiThu, 29 Oct 20268:51 PM IST
AhmedabadThu, 29 Oct 20268:42 PM IST
Moonrise for your city in the daily panchang

Why the date differs between the US and India

Karwa Chauth is observed on Krishna Chaturthi, the fourth tithi of the dark half of the month (Ashwin in the amanta calendar, Kartika in the purnimanta calendar). The deciding moment is sunset: the fast belongs to the civil day whose sunset falls inside Chaturthi. A tithi is an interval of the Moon phase, not a clock day, so the same tithi covers different civil dates in different time zones.

In 2026, Chaturthi begins on 28 October at 12:58 PM Pacific Time (29 October, 1:28 AM in India) and ends on 29 October at 10:01 AM Pacific Time (29 October, 10:31 PM in India). In Los Angeles and New York, the sunset of 28 October falls inside this window, so the fast is on Wednesday 28 October. In India, the sunset of 28 October still falls in Tritiya, and the sunset of 29 October falls inside Chaturthi, so the fast is on Thursday 29 October. London matches India this year, because its Chaturthi sunset also falls on 29 October.

The fast is broken at moonrise, and moonrise also moves with longitude. That is why one printed date can never serve every country, and why the table above lists each city on its own.

Puja muhurat and the Chaturthi window

Chaturthi tithi window: it begins on 28 October at 1:28 AM IST (28 October, 12:58 PM PT and 3:58 PM ET) and ends on 29 October at 10:31 PM IST (29 October, 10:01 AM PT and 1:01 PM ET). The Karwa Chauth puja is performed in the evening, during Pradosh Kaal after sunset and before moonrise, while Chaturthi prevails. Keep the katha book and the puja thali ready before sunset, so the puja is complete before the Moon rises.

Vrat rules

The vrat is kept by married women, and in many families by unmarried women too, for the wellbeing and long life of their spouse. Its four parts are sargi, the day fast, the evening katha, and arghya to the Moon.

Sargi, the pre dawn meal

Before sunrise, the mother in law traditionally gives the sargi, a thali of food, sweets, fruit and gifts that is eaten before dawn. Eat a filling and balanced sargi with protein and slow energy foods, and drink enough water, because the day ahead is passed without food or water.

Nirjala fast

The traditional fast is nirjala, without food and without water, from sunrise until moonrise. Many observe it in full. Those who are pregnant, unwell, diabetic or on regular medication should speak to their doctor and adapt the fast; tradition accepts a modified vrat when health requires it.

Evening puja and katha

In the evening, dress for the festival and prepare the karwa, an earthen or metal pot filled with water, and the thali with a diya, roli, rice, sweets and the bayana. Then listen to or read the Karwa Chauth katha, traditionally the story of the devoted queen Veeravati, in a group of women or at home with family.

Arghya and breaking the fast

When the Moon rises, look at it through a sieve, then look at your husband, and offer arghya, water poured from the karwa, to the Moon. The fast is broken by taking water and the first bite from your husband hands. Touch the feet of elders, share the bayana, and the vrat is complete.

Frequently asked questions

When is Karwa Chauth 2026 in the USA?
Wednesday, 28 October 2026. In the US, the sunset of 28 October falls inside Krishna Chaturthi, so the fast is kept that day and broken after the local moonrise, for example 7:53 PM in Los Angeles and 7:23 PM in New York.
When is Karwa Chauth 2026 in India?
Thursday, 29 October 2026. At sunset on 28 October, India is still in Tritiya; Chaturthi prevails at the sunset of 29 October. Moonrise in Delhi is at about 8:07 PM IST.
Why do the US and India dates differ?
The fast belongs to the day whose sunset falls inside the Chaturthi tithi. A tithi is a phase of the Moon, not a fixed clock interval, so as that window crosses time zones it lands on different civil dates: 28 October in the Americas and 29 October in India this year.
What if the Moon is not visible because of clouds?
Tradition allows the fast to be broken after the computed moonrise time for your city when the Moon cannot be seen, after offering arghya facing the direction of the Moon. Use the moonrise table on this page for your city; if clouds persist, many families wait a short while before breaking the fast.

Keep exploring

Daily PanchangMoonrise, tithi, nakshatra and muhurat for your own city. Free KundaliYour full birth chart and Moon sign, free. Festival CalendarAll major festival dates for 2026 in one calendar. Diwali 2026Diwali dates and Lakshmi Puja muhurat for India and the USA.

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