Celebrate an eternal bond of love with Karwa Chauth

Karwa Chauth symbolizes the eternal love between a husband and his wife.  Karwa Chauth is one of the most important fasts observed by the married Hindu women in north India. On this day the women pray for the well-being and long life of their husbands.  Karwa Chauth fast falls 9 days before Diwali.  Observed on the fourth day of the Hindi Kartik month is the festival of Karwa Chauth.

Married women observe a stringent fast from dawn, they eat food before sunrise. They are not supposed to eat or even drink water during the day. In the evening the ladies listen to the Karwa Chauth Katha. The fast is over after the moonrise. Some unmarried young girls too observe the fast for their fiancés or their husbands to be.

The history of this festival goes back over the decades, a number of mythical stories are related to Karwa Chauth.  According to one mythological tale, Savitri’s husband Satyavan died, following which Savitri refused to have any food and water. She pleaded with Lord Yama to revive her dead husband, which he did. Strengthened with this faith, married women fast for their spouse’s longevity. While according to another folklore, Karwa’s husband, went to a pond to have a bath where a crocodile caught him. To release him from the clutches of death, this devoted wife prayed to Lord Yama to grant her husband with a long life. Similarly, another legend, wherein Veera, the only sister of seven brothers was fasting at her maternal home. Her brothers, unable to see their hungry sister’s plight, showed her an artificial light like that of a moon and made her pray to the same and break her fast. This led her husband fell seriously ill. Veera pleaded and prayed the lord of death, Yama for her husband’s well-being.  Inspired by these folklores, all married woman observe the fast of Karwa Chauth praying for the long and prosperous life of their husband’s.

The married women are supposed to wake up before sunrise and after bathing and offering prayers to God, have Saargi, a pre–fast meal comprising of milk, fruits and dry fruits with a lots of other goodies and pampering from their mother-in-law because after sunrise till the moon rises they are supposed to have neither water nor food. The women on this day, get dressed up like a bride in the bright colored finery adorned with all the essentials like mangal sutra, bangles, bindi, anklets with henna on their hand and feet which is considered auspicious. Decorating hand and feet by creating intricate designs with henna is one of the most common tradition on all occasion. It is believed that woman who get dark colour will get love and caring from her groom.

In the evening, the women gather for a common puja, wherein all the friends or the fasting ladies in the neighborhood gather to pray and listen to the Karwa Chauth Katha. After the puja, they wait for the moon to rise. Once the moon rises, the women see its reflection in a thali of water, or through a dupatta or a sieve with a lighted diya. Next, see view their husbands face while offering prayer and water to the moon and seek blessings.

After the prayers, women break the fast by drinking water and having sweets from their husband’s hand which marks the end of the fast. Then, finally, the couples have the vegetarian home-cooked meal as dinner. Karwa Chauth reflects the bond of love, joy, splendor, brightness and happiness of a married life.