Consulting the stars…
Consulting the stars…
New Delhi, India
1
November 2026
Sunday
Ahoi Mata
A mother's fast for her children's wellbeing
Ahoi Ashtami Puja Timings
Ahoi Ashtami on Sunday, November 1, 2026
Kartik, Krishna Paksha, Ashtami
Begins: 02:52 PM, Nov 01 · Ends: 01:11 PM, Nov 02
Duration: 1 day
12 days
Ahoi Ashtami falls on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the dark fortnight of Kartik, a little over a week before Diwali. Mothers keep a fast from dawn and pray to Ahoi Mata for the long life and wellbeing of their children.
The fast is broken in the evening, traditionally after the stars are sighted, though some families wait for the moon. It is most widely observed in North India, closely following Karwa Chauth.
A devotional fast in which mothers pray for their children's health and safety. It sits in the run-up to Diwali, alongside Karwa Chauth and Dhanteras, as part of the Kartik festival season.
North India (Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, UP, Rajasthan)
The main region of observance; the wall drawing of Ahoi Mata is a central ritual.
Other regions
Less widely observed; the Kartik fasts are more commonly Karwa Chauth and Dhanteras elsewhere.
Ahoi Ashtami 2026 mein Sunday, 1 November ko hai (New Delhi ke panchang ke anusaar). Tithi: Kartik, Krishna Paksha, Ashtami. Yeh tithi 02:52 PM, Nov 01 se 01:11 PM, Nov 02 tak rehti hai. Apne shehar ke hisaab se samay thoda alag ho sakta hai.
Most Hindu festivals are set by the lunar Hindu calendar (a specific Tithi within a specific lunar month), not the solar Gregorian calendar used internationally. Since a lunar year runs roughly 11 days shorter than a solar year, the same Tithi lands on a different Gregorian date each year — this is normal and expected, not an error.