Ahoi Ashtami is the fast mothers keep for their children. From sunrise until the stars come out, they go without food (many without water too), and in the evening they worship Ahoi Mata, a form of Goddess Parvati, praying for their children’s long life and happiness. It falls on the Ashtami of Krishna Paksha in Kartik (Ashwin in the Amanta calendar), four days after Karva Chauth and about a week before Diwali. In 2026, Ahoi Ashtami is on Sunday, 1 November.
Ahoi Ashtami 2026 date and timings
| New Delhi, 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Vrat date | Sunday, 1 November |
| Ashtami tithi | 2:52 PM, 1 Nov → 1:10 PM, 2 Nov |
| Sunset | 5:36 PM |
| Fast is broken | After the stars appear, usually 6:00–6:30 PM |
| Moonrise (for families who wait for the moon) | About 11:40 PM |
Timings are calculated for New Delhi; check your city on our panchang. The star-sighting time depends on sky and city lights.
The story of Ahoi Mata
The katha told in most homes is of a woman who lived with her seven sons. Before Diwali, she went to the forest to dig clay to plaster her house. As she dug, her spade accidentally killed a young porcupine cub (syahu) in its den. Grief-stricken, she went home. Within a year, one by one, her seven sons died.
An old woman of the village told her it was the sin of the cub’s death, and advised her to pray to Ahoi Mata on the Ashtami before Diwali, drawing the goddess with the porcupine and her cubs, fasting through the day and asking forgiveness. She kept the vrat with complete devotion, year after year. Pleased, the goddess forgave her and blessed her: her sons returned to her. Since then, mothers have kept the Ahoi Ashtami vrat for their children.
How to keep Ahoi Ashtami
Morning: wake before sunrise, eat a little if your family keeps sargi, and take the sankalp (resolve) to keep the fast for your children.
Through the day: fast without grain; many mothers keep it nirjala (without water), others take water or milk. Elders, pregnant women and anyone unwell should keep a gentle fast.
Evening puja:
- On the wall, or on a sheet of paper, draw Ahoi Mata with eight corners (ashta-koshthak), together with a porcupine (syahu) and her cubs. Printed Ahoi calendars are sold in markets too.
- Place a kalash of water before it, with a karva tied with red thread; many families keep the karva from Karva Chauth.
- Offer roli, rice, flowers and eight puas or puris, halwa and sweets. In many homes a silver syahu pendant on a thread (syahu mala) is worshipped and then worn by the mother, with one silver bead added for each child.
- Read or listen to the Ahoi Mata katha, holding seven grains of wheat in your hand.
- After sunset, when the stars appear, offer arghya of water to the stars, pray, and break the fast with the prasad.
Ahoi Ashtami and Radha Kund
In Braj, Ahoi Ashtami is also the night of the holy bath at Radha Kund near Govardhan. Couples hoping for a child, and those whose prayers were answered, bathe in the kund at midnight. It is one of the most crowded nights in Braj; see our Vrindavan guide for the region.
Around Ahoi Ashtami
Four days earlier comes Karva Chauth (29 October), when wives fast for their husbands. A week later, Dhanteras (6 November) opens the five days of Diwali.
Frequently asked questions
When is Ahoi Ashtami in 2026?
Ahoi Ashtami falls on Sunday, 1 November 2026. Ashtami tithi of Kartik Krishna Paksha begins at 2:52 PM on 1 November and lasts until 1:10 PM on 2 November (New Delhi), so it holds in the evening of 1 November, when the fast is broken after sighting the stars.
Why is Ahoi Ashtami celebrated?
Mothers keep the Ahoi Ashtami vrat for the long life, health and happiness of their children. It is dedicated to Ahoi Mata, a form of Goddess Parvati, and remembers the story of a mother whose children were restored by the goddess after she kept this fast with devotion.
When is the Ahoi Ashtami fast broken?
Most mothers break the fast after sighting the stars in the evening and offering arghya to them. Some families wait for moonrise instead, but on Ahoi Ashtami the moon rises very late (around 11:40 PM in Delhi in 2026), so the stars are the usual custom.
How many days after Karva Chauth is Ahoi Ashtami?
Ahoi Ashtami falls four days after Karva Chauth and about eight days before Diwali. In 2026, Karva Chauth is on 29 October and Ahoi Ashtami on 1 November.
