Surrey’s Hindu community will gather at Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir on Wednesday, October 28, to celebrate Karwa Chauth, one of the most cherished festivals of the season. The Vedic Hindu Cultural Society, which runs the temple, is hosting the traditional Karwa Chauth pooja beginning at 2:00 PM, and the day-long fast will close with the expected moonrise at 7:09 PM.
Karwa Chauth is observed by married women who keep a strict fast from sunrise to moonrise, taking neither food nor water through the day, as they pray for the health, happiness and long life of their husbands. The society describes the festival as a symbol of love, devotion and commitment, and of prayers for the well-being of loved ones, and it has warmly invited all devotees and families to join the celebration at the mandir.
The day traditionally begins before dawn with sargi, a pre-fast meal eaten before sunrise. As the day goes on, women dress in festive finery, often in shades of red and gold with henna on their hands, and gather with decorated pooja thalis holding a diya, flowers, sweets and the small earthen karwa pot that gives the festival its name. In the evening, devotees sit together to hear the Karwa Chauth katha, the traditional story of the fast, and to offer prayers as a community.
The fast is broken only after the moon appears. Women view the moonrise through a sieve, offer water to the moon, and then take their first sip of water and first bite of food, traditionally offered by their husbands, completing a ritual that has been passed down through generations.
At Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir, located at 8321 140 Street in Surrey, the pooja begins at 2:00 PM and continues onwards, giving families the afternoon and evening to take part in the prayers together. With moonrise expected at 7:09 PM, those observing the fast can plan to complete the closing rituals and break their fast at the temple. The society says everyone observing Karwa Chauth is welcome to join the prayers and seek divine blessings for their families, and families who are not fasting are equally invited to attend and share in the occasion.
The celebration caps a busy festival season at the mandir, which hosted nine nights of Navratri celebrations and a grand Dussehra programme with cultural performances and Ravan Dahan earlier this month, drawing devotees from across Surrey. In its invitation, the society wishes that the auspicious occasion bring love, peace, prosperity and happiness to every home, and a blessed Karwa Chauth to all who celebrate.
Source: Vedic Hindu Cultural Society, October 23, 2026
