Karwa Chauth is an Indian festival of the utmost significance for married women in the country. This lovely Hindu holiday honors the marriage vows and the compassion shared by married couples. Wedded women fast from daybreak to moonrise on this auspicious day, offering prayers for their husbands’ longevity and good health.

Unmarried girls also fast on this day and pray to marry their desired life partner. However, in recent years a trend has evolved in which husbands have started fasting on this day to signify their love, respect, and understanding for their wives. Let’s know the details of this festival through this blog.

What is the Meaning of Karwa Chauth?

Karaka (clay water pitcher) and Chaturthi (fourth day of the Hindu lunar month of Kartika) are the two Sanskrit terms from which the word Karwa Chauth is derived. Typically, this festival takes place in the middle or end of October.

Among women from the North Indian states, including Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, etc., this festival holds great significance. In South India and the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, Karwa Chauth is celebrated in the Ashwin month, and the date is based on the Amant Calendar. It is known as Atla Tadde in Andhra Pradesh.

What are the legends behind the Hindu festival Karwa Chauth?

According to Hindu mythology, there are several legends related to the origin of the Karwa Chauth, including the stories of Queen Veeravati, Draupadi, and Savitri.

Mythological connection of Mahabharata and Karwa Chauth:

Arjuna went to Nilgiris for strict penance to please Gods and take blessings from them of divine weapons and powers. Draupadi, worried about her husband’s safety, asks for Lord Krishna’s help to save Arjuna. Krishna advised her to fast for her husband, as Goddess Parvati fasted to obtain Lord Shiva as her husband. It’s said that her devotion to her husband kept him safe and helped him.

Queen Veeravati story:

Queen Veeravati was the only sister of her seven brothers. On her first Karwa Chauth, she observed a fast for the good health of her spouse. She was in her parent’s home at that time. She was pampered and raised lovingly since childhood by her parents and brothers. She couldn’t stand the strict fasting because of her weakness. Her brothers tricked her and made her break her fast. Word of her husband’s passing reached her after she broke her fast.

There are different versions of how she brings him back to life. However, the most popular is on her way back to her husband’s kingdom; she meets goddess Parvati. She told Veeravati that her husband died because she didn’t complete her fast. She asked for forgiveness from the goddess. Maa Parvati then blesses her with the boon that on the next Karwa Chauth, if she observes a strict fast for her husband, he will be back to life.

Savitri’s plea to Lord Yama:

Another legend associated with Karwa Chauth is connected to Princess Savitri, who married Prince Satyavan. Satyavan was banished and foretold that he would die within a year. She observed a strict fast to show her loyalty, empathy, and love for her suhaag. When Lord Yama came to collect her husband’s soul, he was impressed by Savitri’s dedication towards her husband. He blessed both of them with a long and happy life.

What are the Rituals of the Karwa Chauth?

Karwa Chauth is a beautiful festival that celebrates the strong connections and compassion between married couples. Several rituals are followed on this day, which include:

Fasting: Married women and unmarried girls observe Nirjala fasting from sunrise to moonrise on this day. Throughout the day, they’re forbidden from eating or drinking anything. They get together, tell each other stories, and encourage one another during the fasting day.

Preparation: On Karwa Chauth, women get dressed up in their most beautiful traditional attires and apply hennas to their hands with an aspiration to look the prettiest. Women gather for the morning sargi ritual and evening puja on this auspicious day.

Sargi ritual: Sargi is the meal that women eat before dawn on Karwa Chauth. It’s generally prepared by their mothers-in-laws or mothers and includes sweets, dry fruits, feni, a glass of coconut water, and fruits. Women who observe Nirjaal vrat wake up early in the morning to perform this first ritual of this festival.

Pooja: For the evening pooja, women make preparations, which include decorating the pooja place with flowers and the idol of Goddess Parvati and creating a painted pot of intricate designs, Karva. As the Karwa Chauth coincides with Sankasthi Chaturthi, which is a fasting festival observed for Lord Ganesha, women perform Ganesh Pooja also on this day. They recite or hear the stories of Veeravati recited by an elderly woman or the priest. They offer flowers and sweets to Goddess Parvati and Lord Ganesha and pray for the well-being of their husbands.

Breaking the fast: After seeing the moon in the evening, women break their fast. The pooja begins with women offering water from Karva to the moon, and using a sieve, taking a glimpse of the moon and looking at their husbands’ faces. They then take a sip of water from their spouses’ hands to break their fast.

Single girls can eat fruits during the fast instead of observing a waterless fast on Karwa Chauth. They must not perform the sargi ritual and should break their fast by looking at the moon without a sieve.

Conclusion:

The festival of married couples’ dedication to each other will be celebrated on 20th October this year. The Puja Muhurat will last from 06:04 pm to 07:14 am. This festival is a chance for married couples to deepen their marital ties. We wish Goddess Parvati bless every married or unmarried woman observing a fast on this day by gratifying their wishes.

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