Ahoi Ashtami is a fast kept by mothers for the health and long life of their children. It is observed mainly in north India, in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, about four days after Karva Chauth and a little more than a week before Diwali. It was once a fast for sons and in many families is now kept for all children.
Month and tithi
The festival is the Krishna Ashtami, the eighth day of the dark fortnight, that comes before Diwali. The two ways of counting months name it differently: it is Kartika in the purnimanta calendar of north India, and Ashwina in the amanta calendar. The day is the same. The amanta and purnimanta guide explains the two systems, and the Ashtami page describes the tithi.
The story
The tradition tells of a woman who, while digging earth to plaster the house before Diwali, accidentally killed a hedgehog cub with her spade. In some tellings the loss was followed by the death of her sons, one after another. An elder or a holy woman advised her to draw the image of the animal’s mother, called Syahu or Ahoi, and to worship her with a vow of repentance. She did, and her sons were saved. The story differs from region to region, and it is passed on in the family as a story about care and about asking forgiveness.
How the fast is kept
A mother rises before dawn, bathes and keeps a fast, with or without water, through the day. A picture of Ahoi Mata is drawn on the wall in the evening, usually showing eight corners for the tithi, with a figure of the hedgehog cub (syau) and seven sons. In many homes a silver pendant called the Ahoi, strung with a silver bead for each child, is worshipped and worn by the mother.
In the evening, in the hour after sunset, the family sits together for the puja. Offerings are made of halwa, puri, fruit and water in a clay or brass pot, and the story is told. The fast is broken after the stars are seen, which is the usual practice, and in some families after the Moon rises, which is late at night on this tithi. The table gives the puja window, the moonrise for each city, and the times the Ashtami begins and ends.
A visit to Radha Kund, near Mathura, is also traditional on this night, where couples who wish for children bathe at midnight. This is a regional custom, not a requirement of the vrat.
How the day is fixed
The rule used here follows Drik Panchang: the festival is on the civil day on which Krishna Ashtami is in force at moonrise; if it is in force at two moonrises, the first is taken. The puja window is the first tenth of the night after sunset, the same as for Karva Chauth. The window is shown as Drik prints it, and in some years the Ashtami begins or ends within or after the window, in which case the tithi times in the table are the ones to read.
Why cities differ
The tithi begins and ends at one instant, but sunset and moonrise are at a different clock time in every city. A tithi that begins just before or after moonrise in one city gives a different day in another, and the table shows each city’s result. For a place not listed, try the any-city tool.
A calm note
A waterless fast is a personal vow. If you are pregnant, nursing, unwell or taking medicine, please keep a lighter fast, and ask a doctor if you are in doubt. The tradition values the mother’s care more than the severity of the fast. Follow your family’s practice for the day.