FestivalKartik Krishna Ashtami (purnimanta)

Ahoi Ashtami 2027

अहोई अष्टमी

On Ahoi Ashtami mothers fast until the stars appear for their children's wellbeing, worshipping Ahoi Mata, a form of Parvati, with the image of the sei and her cubs.

Next: Friday, 22 October 2027

Quick answer

Ahoi Ashtami 2027 falls on Friday, 22 October 2027 (Kartik Krishna Ashtami (purnimanta)). In 2026 it fell on Sunday, 1 November 2026.

Dates follow the Delhi panchang and can shift by a day in your region, so confirm the muhurat with a local panchang.

Ahoi Ashtami 2027 falls on Friday, 22 October, four days after Karwa Chauth and about a week before Diwali. On the eighth day of the dark half of Kartik, mothers fast from dawn until the stars appear, praying for the long life and wellbeing of their children. They worship Ahoi Mata, a protective form of Parvati, whose image is drawn on the wall with the figures of a sei (porcupine) and her cubs. It is widely kept in north India, especially Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Punjab.

Ahoi Ashtami 2027 date

Ahoi Ashtami 2027 is on Friday, 22 October 2027 (Kartik Krishna Ashtami, purnimanta calendar). In 2026 it fell on Sunday, 1 November. The fast is broken after sighting the stars in the evening; some families wait for moonrise, which comes late on this night.

The story of Ahoi Mata

The vrat katha, a folk tradition, tells of a mother of seven sons who went to the forest to dig soil to plaster her house before Diwali. Her spade struck and killed the cub of a sei (porcupine) hidden in its den. Within a year, she lost all seven of her sons. Grief-stricken, she confessed her unknowing sin to the women of the village, who told her to worship Ahoi Mata and to draw the image of the sei and its cubs with her, as an act of repentance. She fasted and prayed with all her heart on Kartik Krishna Ashtami, and in time the goddess, pleased by her devotion, restored her sons.

How Ahoi Ashtami is observed

Fast: mothers fast without food, and often without water, from sunrise until they sight the stars.
Wall image: Ahoi Mata with the sei and its cubs is drawn with geru or kumkum, or a printed image is used, often with eight corners (ashta koshthak).
Evening puja: a kalash of water, sweets such as halwa and puri, and a silver Ahoi pendant (syau) strung on a thread are offered, and the katha is heard.
Breaking the fast: water is offered to the stars, then the mother eats.
Radha Kund: at midnight, couples who wish for a child bathe in Radha Kund near Govardhan, an old local tradition.

The meaning of Ahoi Ashtami

Ahoi Ashtami is a mother’s prayer, and its story teaches care for every living being, even the smallest creature in the earth. Its blessings are described as tradition holds them. See every festival on the Hindu festival calendar.