On this day, on Ahoi Asthami mothers fast from dawn to dusk for their sons but in modern India, the fast is observed for the well being of the children. The mothers break the fast after sighting stars in the sky.
Some of the women break the fast after sighting the moon but it might be difficult to follow as the moon rises late in the night on Ahoi Ashtami.
The festival is more popular in North India. The day is also called Ahoi Aathe because fasting for Ahoi is done during the Asthami Tithi which is the eighth day of the month.
Ahoi fasting falls eight days before Diwali and four days after Karwa Chauth. This year, it is marked on October 21. Like Karwa Chauth, women observe strict fasting and even refrain from water throughout the day.
History and Significance of the Puja
When a woman accidentally ended up killing a sleeping lion cub in the month of Kartik when she was digging some soil in a nearby forest, her seven sons started dying one by one and by the year-end, she lost all of them.
She was then advised by the villagers to pray to Ahoy Asthami Bhagwati by drawing the face of a lion cub and offering prayers to it. She did this continuously for seven years and by the grace of Goddess, her seven sons came back to life.
Ahoi Ashtami 2019 Date and Puja Shubh Muhurat
This year, according to drikpanchang.com, the Ahoi Ashtami puja muhurat is for one hour 17 minutes, from 5.42 pm to 06.59 pm (October 21, 2019) and sighting time for stars is 6.10 pm. Moonrise will be at 11.46 pm.
Ashtami Tithi starts at 6.44 pm on October 21 and ends at 5.45 am on October 22.
Karwa Chauth 2018: Moon rise time, Puja Vidhi, Feast and more
