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Karva Chauth

Written By: Ruchi - Oct• 11•14
Karva means an earthen pot with a spout and Chauth means fourth. Karva Chauth refers to the festival that falls on the fourth day of the month of Kartik as per the Hindu calendar and Karva has special meaning as it signifies peace and prosperity. This day is most famous for the fact that married women observe fast for the safety of their husbands.
How is it celebrated
Married women get up before sunrise and eat Sargai. Sargai is basically milk and vermicelli. In modern times, women can eat whatever they like as Sargai. Normally Sargai is given to them by their mother in law. They do not eat anything rest of the day. Some women don’t even drink water but it’s not very common. They break their fast after seeing the moon. It’s customary to adorn the palms with mehndi.
In the evening just before sunset, women dress up in the auspicious colors like red, pink, yellow and green and prepare a pooja thali. Thali contains a small clay lamp, Roli, Poode, a gift for mother in law and a Karva to be filled with water. They draw a Hindu Swastika on the Karva with the help of the Roli paste. The sacred thread Kalava is tied around the Karva. 14 Poode are prepared and kept in the thali and the lamp is lit. They take a couple of Poodas in the hand and then listen to the Karva Chauth story (see below). The story can be told by anyone in the family or they can recite it themselves. Once the story is finished, they sprinkle Roli paste on the thali and water around the thali three times. If their mother in law is around, they touch the feet of their mother in law and give her the gift and the Poode. The gift and Poode together are also called Bayana.
Pooja Thali
At night when moon appears, women again light the lamp in their thali. They sprinkle Roli paste towards the moon three times and pray that their husband becomes as glorious as the moon. Then they offer the water to the moon from the Karva. Then they touch the feet of their husband and break their fast.
If you don’t have a Karva, any small vessel can be used. If the mother in law is not around, the Poode can be replaced with fourteen pieces of dry fruits and can be given to the mother in law later. These days women often gather at one place and listen to the story in a group.
Listening to the story in a group
In olden days, men were the sole bread winner of any household. It was important that they keep good health. Karva Chauth was a way for women to pray for the good health of their husbands. Also since mother in law was the person who gave birth to the husband, giving Bayana or gift to mother in law is a way for daughter in law to thank her mother in law.
The Story
It is said that in a village , seven brothers and one sister used to live with their parents. The sister was the youngest and everybody adored her. She got married at the age of 10 or 12 years. After marriage, on her first Karva Chauth, she came to her parent’s house and observed the fast without water.
By evening the brothers got worried that their sister is too young to fast till night. They consulted among themselves and decided that they will create an fake moon for their sister. Two brothers went to the forest and burnt the cow dung. The other two brothers went home and told their sister that the moon has risen. All her sister in laws knew that the brothers are doing this so that the little sister can eat so they kept quite. Sister asked her sister in laws to break the fast too but they told her that this is children’s moon so they can’t break their fast yet.
The sister being very young, believed them. She hurriedly took the pooja thali to the terrace and saw the made up light and believed it to be the real moon. She offered her prayers and broke her fast . As soon as she started eating, she received a message from her in laws that her husband has suddenly become seriously ill. Everybody got worried.
The family consulted the priests and they told them that this happened because the girl broke her fast early. They told her to take good care of her husband till the next Karva Chauth and then keep the fast again. The girl agreed and took good care of her husband for one year and kept the fast on the next Karva Chauth. She broke her fast after viewing the real moon and her husband recovered from the illness. So the learning is that every woman should keep the fast for her husband and break it after viewing the moon.
Some Customs
It is customary that on the first Karva Chauth of a newly wedded woman, her parents send gifts and sweets to her in law’s place.