Ahoi Ashtami 2026 falls on Sunday, 1 November 2026. Mothers keep a day-long fast for the long life and well-being of their children and break it in the evening after seeing the stars. It comes four days after Karwa Chauth and about a week before Diwali.
Ahoi Ashtami 2026: date and timings
- Date: Sunday, 1 November 2026
- Ashtami tithi begins: about 2:51 PM, 1 November
- Ashtami tithi ends: about 1:10 PM, 2 November
- Puja muhurat (Delhi): about 5:36 PM to 6:54 PM
- Star sighting (Delhi): around 6:00 PM
Timings are based on published panchang listings for Delhi and can differ by a few minutes in other cities. Check a local panchang or your family priest for your city.
Why Ahoi Ashtami is celebrated
Ahoi Ashtami is observed on the Ashtami (eighth day) of the Krishna Paksha in the month of Kartik, as per the Purnimant calendar followed in north India. Women pray to Ahoi Mata, a form of Goddess Parvati, for the health, safety and long life of their children. Many families who wish for a child also keep the fast.
The popular story (vrat katha) tells of a mother who accidentally harmed a cub of a sei (porcupine) while digging soil. She later lost her sons and prayed to Ahoi Mata, who blessed her after she kept the fast with devotion. That is why a picture of Ahoi Mata is often drawn along with a sei and her cubs.
How the puja is done
- Mothers wake early and keep a fast, often without water, until the stars appear.
- An image of Ahoi Mata is drawn on the wall or a printed picture is used, with the sei and her cubs.
- In the evening, a kalash of water is placed, and offerings such as puri, halwa, chana and sweets are made.
- Women hear or read the Ahoi Ashtami vrat katha together.
- After sighting the stars, they offer water (arghya) to the stars and then break the fast.
- Some families use a silver Ahoi pendant (syahu mala) and add a bead each year.
Radha Kund snan
In Mathura, thousands of couples take a holy dip in Radha Kund near Govardhan around midnight on Ahoi Ashtami, praying for children. Local administration usually makes special arrangements for the crowds.
Quick answers
When is Ahoi Ashtami in 2026? Sunday, 1 November 2026.
When is the fast broken? After seeing the stars in the evening, around 6 PM in Delhi; some families wait for moonrise, which is late at night.
Is Ahoi Ashtami a bank holiday? No, it is not a national bank holiday. See our November 2026 bank holiday list.
Questions to think about
- Should fasts for children’s well-being be kept by both parents, not only mothers?
- How are younger families keeping traditions like Ahoi Ashtami alive in cities?
- What festival story from your family do you want your children to remember?
Sources: published panchang listings (Daanyam, Astrozindagi, NKB Meditation) for Delhi timings.
