Ahoi Ashtami is a Hindu festival celebrated on the eighth day of the Krishna Paksha in the month of Kartik. It is a festival of prayer and fasting, and it is observed primarily by Hindu women in North India. The festival is dedicated to Ahoi Mata, a goddess who is said to protect children.
Vrata is a Hindu religious practice that involves fasting and prayer. Ahoi Ashtami is a vrat festival, and it is observed by Hindu women for the well-being of their children. Women who observe the vrat will abstain from eating any solid food from sunrise to moonrise. They will also offer prayers to Ahoi Mata, and they will often visit temples dedicated to the goddess.
Puja is a Hindu religious ceremony that involves offering prayers and gifts to a deity. On Ahoi Ashtami, women will perform a puja to Ahoi Mata. The puja typically includes the following elements:
- Invocation of the goddess
- Offering of prayers and mantras
- Offering of gifts, such as flowers, fruits, and sweets
- Aarti, a ritual in which a lamp is waved in front of the deity
Muhurta is a Hindu astrological concept that refers to an auspicious time for performing a particular task. The Ahoi Ashtami puja muhurta is the time period during which the puja is considered to be most auspicious. The 2023 Ahoi Ashtami puja muhurta is from 5:11 PM to 6:27 PM IST.