Karwa Chauth 2026 in the USA: Date (Wednesday 28 October) and Moonrise Time City by City

Quick answer: Karwa Chauth 2026 in the USA is on Wednesday 28 October 2026, one day before India (Thursday 29 October). The Karwa Chauth 2026 USA moonrise time is 7:29 PM in New York, 7:32 PM in Edison, New Jersey, 7:21 PM in Chicago, 8:36 PM in Houston, 7:58 PM in Los Angeles and 8:02 PM in the Bay Area (all local time). The fast runs from sunrise to the sighting of the moon.

These are standard astronomical moonrise times. Drik Panchang and most phone apps may show a time a few minutes later, and the moon often takes a few more minutes to climb above houses, trees or tall buildings. Women break the fast when they actually see the moon, not when the clock reaches a number.

Where the times come from: the US date is from Drik Panchang. Sunrise, sunset and moonrise for each city are calculated by HinduTone's calculator: sunrise and sunset by the Drik method, moonrise as the standard astronomical moonrise checked against the US Naval Observatory. All times are local daylight time (US clocks do not fall back until Sunday 1 November); Phoenix stays on Arizona time all year.

Karwa Chauth 2026 USA moonrise time: city-wise table

Fast begins at local sunrise on Wednesday 28 October 2026. Sargi is eaten before this time.

If your city is not listed, use the nearest one only as a rough guide; moonrise can differ by many minutes even within one time zone, as Houston and Chicago show. Check Drik Panchang for your exact city, and remember its moonrise will usually read a few minutes later than ours.

East Coast families see the moon earliest, around 7:30 PM in New York and New Jersey. In the South and in Texas the wait is long: Atlanta's moon rises at 8:38 PM and Houston's at 8:36 PM, about thirteen hours after sunrise. Seattle has the earliest moonrise in our table, at 7:17 PM.

Why Karwa Chauth is a day earlier in the USA than in India

Karwa Chauth is kept on Kartika Krishna Chaturthi (Ashvin Krishna Chaturthi in the amanta calendar), the fourth day after the full moon. The deciding moment is moonrise: the day is the one on which the Chaturthi tithi is running when the moon rises where you live.

A tithi starts and ends at the same instant all over the world. Because US evenings come many hours after India's, Chaturthi is already running at moonrise on Wednesday 28 October in every US city in our table. Drik Panchang therefore lists Karwa Chauth 2026 on 28 October for the USA and Canada, while India keeps it on Thursday 29 October. So if your mother or sister in Delhi fasts on Thursday, you fast a day earlier, on Wednesday.

Do not try to copy India's moonrise time to the USA. Each city has its own moonrise, and the table above already gives the local answer. For Indian city times, see our main Karwa Chauth 2026 date and city-wise moonrise times guide.

Moonrise on the clock versus seeing the moon

Three different things are often called "moonrise", and knowing the difference saves a lot of anxious window-watching:

• Astronomical moonrise (our table): the moment the top edge of the moon reaches a flat, open horizon, allowing for the bending of light by the air. This is the time the US Naval Observatory publishes.
• Drik Panchang and apps: usually a few minutes later, often about 4 to 7 minutes, because they use a different convention. Both are correct for their method.
• When you see it: in a suburb with trees or a city with tall buildings, the moon may stay hidden for several more minutes. In the east-facing window of a high floor, you may see it close to the listed time.

The custom is simple: break the fast on actually sighting the moon. Step outside a little before the listed time, face east, and be patient. If clouds hide the moon, follow your family's custom; some wait, some complete the arghya facing the moon's direction, and some look at the moon on a live video from relatives elsewhere.

The day: sargi, fasting and the evening puja

Sargi before sunrise

In Punjabi and North Indian homes, the day begins with sargi, a pre-dawn meal often prepared or sent by the mother-in-law: fruit, dry fruits, mathri, sevaiyan or pheni in milk, and a glass of water or tea. Eat it before your city's sunrise time in the table. In New York that means before 7:20 AM; in Atlanta you have until 7:51 AM. A filling sargi with protein and fruit makes a working day much easier.

The fast

Traditionally the fast is nirjala, without food or water, from sunrise until the moon is seen. Many women in the USA keep it fully; others take water or fruit, especially at work. Family custom decides. Women traditionally dress in red or bridal colours, wear mehendi applied the night before, bangles and sindoor.

Evening puja with the karwa

Before moonrise, usually after sunset, women gather at home or with friends for the puja. A thali holds a lit diya, roli, rice, sweets and a sieve (channi). The karwa, a small earthen or metal pot with a spout, is filled with water. Many families place an image of Gauri (Parvati) or Chauth Mata, and Ganesha is worshipped first. In Punjabi gatherings the women sit in a circle and pass their thalis around while singing traditional Karwa Chauth songs, and an older woman reads or tells the katha.

Moon arghya and breaking the fast

When the moon appears, the woman looks at it through the sieve, then looks at her husband's face through the same sieve. She offers arghya, pouring water from the karwa towards the moon, with a prayer for her husband's long life and the family's wellbeing. The husband then gives her the first sip of water and the first bite of food, often a sweet, and the fast is over. Many couples now keep the fast together.

The Karwa Chauth katha: the story of Veeravati, as commonly told

Several stories are told on Karwa Chauth. The best known is the story of Queen Veeravati, as commonly told. Veeravati was the only sister of seven loving brothers. She kept her first Karwa Chauth at her parents' house, and by evening she was faint with hunger and thirst. Her brothers could not bear to see her suffer. They lit a fire behind a tree (in some versions, held up a lamp or a mirror) so that it looked like the rising moon, and told her the moon had come.

Veeravati broke her fast. At once came news that her husband had died. Grief-stricken, she learned that her fast had been broken by a false moon. In most versions, guided by Goddess Parvati, she kept the vrat faithfully through the year and on the next Karwa Chauth, and through her devotion her husband was restored to life.

The tale is told with variations across families and regions. Its message suits the modern moonrise debate rather well: the fast ends with the real moon, not with a light that only looks like one.

Keeping Karwa Chauth on a working Wednesday in the USA

• Plan your work day: Wednesday 28 October is a normal school and work day. Block a lighter afternoon if you can, avoid strenuous workouts and keep meetings short.
• Hydration: if you keep a nirjala fast, drink well the evening before and at sargi. If you feel dizzy, faint or unwell, take water; no tradition asks you to endanger your health.
• Health exemptions: pregnant or breastfeeding women, diabetics, and anyone on medication or with heart or kidney conditions should speak to a doctor and choose a phal (fruit) or water fast, or keep the puja without fasting.
• Video call with family in India: India keeps Karwa Chauth on Thursday 29 October, so your relatives there will fast the day after you. Their Thursday-evening moonrise falls during the US morning. Many families do a joint call during the Indian katha on Thursday, or share photos of their thalis.
• Community puja: many temples and community groups hold evening Karwa Chauth gatherings. Check your local temple's own announcements for this year; we do not list events or timings.
• Autumn evening and a moon-watching spot: late October evenings are cool in the Northeast and Midwest, so keep a shawl ready. Find an east-facing open view before sunset, such as a top-floor window or a park, since houses and trees can hide the moon for a while after the listed time.

What comes after Karwa Chauth

Karwa Chauth opens the run-up to Diwali. Ahoi Ashtami, the mothers' fast for children, falls on Sunday 1 November 2026 in India by Drik Panchang; check Drik for the US date in your city (see our Ahoi Ashtami 2026 guide). In the USA, Dhanteras is on Friday 6 November and Diwali on Sunday 8 November 2026. For local Lakshmi Puja times, see Diwali 2026 in the USA: Lakshmi Puja muhurat city by city. The whole month is in our October 2026 Hindu festival calendar.

Living in Canada or the UK? Canada also keeps Karwa Chauth on Wednesday 28 October: see Karwa Chauth 2026 Canada moonrise times. The UK follows India's Thursday 29 October: see Karwa Chauth 2026 UK moonrise times.

Frequently asked questions

What time is moonrise on Karwa Chauth 2026 in New Jersey?

On Wednesday 28 October 2026, moonrise in Edison, New Jersey is at 7:32 PM local time (standard astronomical moonrise). Sunset is at 6:00 PM, and the fast begins at sunrise, 7:21 AM. Drik Panchang and phone apps may list a moonrise a few minutes later, and over trees or houses you may not see the moon until a little after that. Break the fast when you actually see the moon.

Is Karwa Chauth 2026 on 28 or 29 October in the USA?

In the USA it is Wednesday 28 October 2026. India keeps it on Thursday 29 October. Drik Panchang gives 28 October for the USA because the Chaturthi tithi is running at local moonrise on the evening of the 28th in every US city in our table.

What time is moonrise on Karwa Chauth 2026 in New York?

7:29 PM on Wednesday 28 October 2026 in New York City. Sunset is 5:58 PM and the fast starts at 7:20 AM sunrise. Expect the moon to clear tall buildings some minutes after 7:29 PM.

Why does Drik Panchang show a later moonrise than this table?

Our times are the standard astronomical moonrise, the moment the top edge of the moon touches a flat horizon, checked against the US Naval Observatory. Drik Panchang uses a different convention and usually lists moonrise about 4 to 7 minutes later. Neither number tells you when you will see the moon over your own roofline, which is why the custom is to wait for the actual sighting.

What if it is cloudy and the moon is not visible on Karwa Chauth?

Families follow their own custom. Many wait a while after the listed moonrise and then complete the arghya facing the direction of the moon, or look at a photo or a live view of the moon shared by relatives in a clearer city. Ask the elders in your family what they do.

Can pregnant or diabetic women keep the Karwa Chauth fast?

Many women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic or on regular medication keep a gentler fast with water, milk or fruit, or keep the puja and katha without fasting. Speak to your doctor first. Devotion lies in the sankalpa and the prayer, not in risking your health.

Editor's note

Editor's note (6 October 2026): This guide has been restored at its original address after the earlier version was lost. The US date of Karwa Chauth (Wednesday 28 October 2026) is from Drik Panchang. City sunrise, sunset and moonrise times are calculated by HinduTone's calculator: sunrise and sunset by the Drik method, and moonrise as the standard astronomical moonrise checked against the US Naval Observatory. Drik Panchang usually lists moonrise a few minutes later because it uses a different convention. Please confirm for your city on Drik Panchang, follow your temple or community committee, and break the fast on seeing the moon. We do not list temple events or timings.

Related guides

• Karwa Chauth 2026: date and city-wise moonrise times (India)
• Karwa Chauth 2026 in Canada: moonrise time city by city
• Karwa Chauth 2026 in the UK: moonrise time city by city
• Ahoi Ashtami 2026: vrat katha and puja vidhi
• Diwali 2026 in the USA: Lakshmi Puja muhurat city by city
• October 2026 Hindu festivals: dates and rituals