It's a month full of festivals and we are totally loving it. As the Karva Chauth has passed, women have started prepping up for Ahoi Ashtami. Ahoi Ashtami is celebrated eight days before Diwali Puja and four days after Karwa Chauth. Popular in North India, Ahoi Ashtami  is similar to Karva Chauth. On this day women fast for entire day and abstain even from water throughout the day. 

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Traditionally, on Ahoi Ashtami mothers used to fast from dawn to dusk for the wellbeing of their sons. But these days, the fast is observed for the wellbeing of all children i.e. for sons as well as for daughters. 

The fast is broken only after sighting the stars. Some 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.

Here's the shubh Muhurat to perform puja rituals as per Drik Panchang...

Ahoi Ashtami Puja Muhurat = 17:32 to 18:51Duration = 1 Hour 18 MinsSanjh (साँझ) time for sighting Stars = 18:01Moonrise on Ahoi Ashtami = 23:50

Ashtami Tithi Begins = 11:09 on 31/Oct/2018Ashtami Tithi Ends = 09:10 on 1/Nov/2018

Puja Vidhi 

Mothers observe fast for entire day without even having a drop of water. In the evening when the stars are visible in the sky, narrates a traditional story with this festival to all her children. After the vrath kath, the mother offers water to stars and homemade sweets and breaks her fast. She prays for the health, well being and long life of her children.

During puja, there is an interesting and fun filled ritual, where she throws the home-made sweets (tuntunae-munmunae, a funny and kiddish name, especially kept for little children to attract) and invites all her children to compete and ask them to grab the maximum. Children feel involved and enjoy this play during puja.