Karwa Chauth abroad: which day to fast and what time the moon rises in your city (2026)

Karwa Chauth 2026 falls on Wednesday 28 October for women in the US and Canada, and on Thursday 29 October in the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. In the UK, Kuwait, Riyadh and Johannesburg the moon does not rise inside Chaturthi on either day. The panchang fallback rule gives Thursday 29 October for those places, but local temples may still differ, so confirm the day with yours.

The fast belongs to the day on which the moon rises while Chaturthi, the fourth day of the waning moon, is still running. That depends on where you stand on the planet, which is why India's Thursday 29 October is not automatically yours.

The moonrise times below are our own calculation and are good to about a minute. Drik Panchang's pages show them 5 to 10 minutes later, so allow a few minutes either way and confirm with your local temple or pandit. We checked everything on 12 October 2026.

What is the rule for choosing the Karwa Chauth day?

Panchang sites state it in one line. MyPanchang, for example, says Karwa Chauth is to be observed at moonrise (chandrodaya vyapini), meaning the Chaturthi tithi must be present then. In plain words: ignore the date on the calendar and ask whether Chaturthi is running when the moon comes up where you live. MyPanchang also gives a fallback for the awkward cases, which we use for the cities listed below.

A tithi (lunar day) begins and ends at the same instant everywhere on Earth. Only the clocks differ. This year Chaturthi begins at about 19:37 UTC on Wednesday 28 October and ends at about 16:41 UTC on Thursday 29 October.

In India that is 1:07 am to 10:11 pm on Thursday 29 October, and Delhi's moon rises at 8:12 pm that evening, inside the window. So India fasts on Thursday.

Now carry the same window west or east. In New York it opens at 3:37 pm on Wednesday and the moon rises at 7:29 pm that evening, so Wednesday wins. By Thursday's moonrise, Chaturthi there ended at 12:41 pm. In Singapore the window runs from 3:37 am on Thursday to 12:41 am on Friday, so Wednesday's moon (8:53 pm) rises too early and Thursday's (9:57 pm) lands inside.

Drik Panchang's city pages show the same windows to within about two minutes. To check your own city, convert the two UTC times to your clock and compare them with the moonrise times below.

Moonrise by city, and the day to fast

Times are local clock times on the day shown, for the centre of each city. US and Canadian clocks stay on daylight time until Sunday 1 November, and UK clocks go back on Sunday 25 October, so the UK times are GMT. Moonrise here is the standard astronomical moment, so the moon can take a few more minutes to clear roofs and trees.

Fast on Wednesday 28 October

Fast on Thursday 29 October

Doha is a close call. By our figures the moon rises about two minutes before Chaturthi ends, while Drik Panchang's slightly later moonrise puts it about five minutes after. Drik's Doha page still lists Thursday, so Thursday is the safe plan, but ask your temple. Dubai and Muscat have more room, about 18 and 26 minutes by our figures.

No moonrise inside Chaturthi: Thursday by the fallback rule, but confirm with your temple

For these cities the moonrise test alone cannot decide the day: Wednesday's moon rises before Chaturthi begins, and Thursday's rises after it has ended. MyPanchang, the page we cite for the rule, adds a fallback. If the moonrise condition is met on both days, take the first day; if it is met on neither, take the second.

Applied here, that gives Thursday 29 October for London, Birmingham, Leicester, Kuwait City, Riyadh and Johannesburg. It matches Drik Panchang's pages for London, Leicester, Kuwait City, Riyadh and Johannesburg, and Muhuratam's London page. This is the panchang fallback rule, not a result of the moonrise test, and local temples may still follow another convention, so confirm with yours.

Kuwait City is a knife edge: by our figures Thursday's moon rises less than a minute after Chaturthi ends. Confirm the day with a pandit you trust, and do it this week, because nobody enjoys ringing one at nine on the night itself.

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Do the sources agree?

On the date, yes, wherever the rule gives an answer. We compared our result with Drik Panchang's Karwa Chauth pages for New York, Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver, Dubai, Doha, Singapore, Sydney and Auckland, and the day matched in all nine: Wednesday for the first four, Thursday for the rest.

They differ in two ways. First, moonrise: Drik's times ran 5 to 10 minutes later than ours in every city we checked (7:35 pm against our 7:29 pm in New York, 6:31 pm against 6:22 pm in London), because the two use different conventions for the moment of moonrise.

Second, a few sites quote one date for every country. We would not rely on those. Whichever time you use, wait until you actually see the moon.

Sargi and the start of the fast: use your own sunrise

The fast begins at sunrise in your city. Drik Panchang describes it as kept without any food or even a drop of water after sunrise, and ended only after the moon is sighted and the offerings are made.

The sargi, the pre-dawn meal traditionally given by the mother-in-law, is eaten before dawn. So the clock that matters in the morning is your local sunrise, not Delhi's, on the day in the tables above.

In the US and Canada that means sargi in the dark on Wednesday 28 October. In Dubai, Singapore, Sydney and the rest of the Thursday group it is Thursday 29 October.

Look up your sunrise on Drik Panchang's Karwa Chauth page (choose your city, and it shows the fasting window) or in any weather app, and finish eating and drinking well before it. UK clocks go back on 25 October, so a sunrise time you note before then will be an hour out.

If your family in India fasts a day later than you, you will not be fasting on the same date. That is the rule at work, not a mistake. Phone each other at your own moonrise.

What if the moon is hidden by cloud, buildings or hills?

The moon will be bright, roughly 80 to 90 percent lit by our calculation, but it rises low, somewhere between north-east and east-north-east depending on your city. You need a clear view of the horizon in that direction: a balcony, a garden or a hilltop car park.

The further north you live, the shallower the moon's climb, so it clears roofs and trees later. In Canada or Scotland, give it extra time. If you live well north of the cities in our tables, our times may be off, so ask your pandit for a local one.

If cloud covers it, practice varies, and the sources do not agree:

• HinduTone's US guide says to follow your family's custom: wait past the listed time, offer the arghya (water offering) facing the moon's direction, or watch a live image of the moon sent by relatives in a clearer city. It adds that you break the fast when you see the moon, not when the clock reaches a number.
• A 2020 Latestly guide says the fast can be completed after the puja without seeing the moon, using a moon shaped in rice on a red cloth.
• Drik Panchang's own description says the fast is broken only after sighting the moon and making the offerings. Ask your pandit before the day, not at ten at night.

A safety note before you fast

Karwa Chauth is traditionally kept without food or water. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic or have any medical condition, speak to your doctor first, because many families accept a modified fast. A fast is never worth risking your health, and a cold evening on a balcony is a good reason to wear a warm layer.

A checklist for your first Karwa Chauth abroad

• A karwa or small pot filled with water for the arghya, and a sieve (chalni). If you cannot find a decorated sieve, ask your family whether a plain kitchen one will do.
• A diya, ghee or oil and a lighter. Never leave a lit diya unattended, and keep it away from children, curtains and dupattas.
• A thali with roli, whole rice (akshat), flowers and a sweet for the first bite.
• Sargi for the pre-dawn meal: fruit, nuts and something that keeps you full.
• Your fast day, sunrise and moonrise, written down, with two alarms set.
• A warm layer and a phone torch for the wait outside.
• A plan for cloud, agreed with your pandit in advance.

Frequently asked questions

Your next step: this week, ask your temple or pandit which day they follow if you are in the fallback group (the UK, Kuwait, Riyadh or Johannesburg), then write your fast day, sunrise and moonrise on the family calendar. For the rest of the day, read our Karwa Chauth 2026 date, puja vidhi and fasting rules, the sargi items list and our guide to opening the fast.