About Karwa Chauth

Flourishing with the infinite love and devotion, Karwa Chauth is the fasting day of wife for praying longevity, good luck for the husband. Celebrated 9 days before the Deepavali festival, it is usually comes in the month of October- November on the Kartik ki Chouth, which is the 4th day of the dark moon as per the Hindu calendar. Karva denotes to the clay pot and chauth signifies to the fourth day of the dark moon, due to its falling on the fourth day of the dark moon. This is indeed very tough fast as it has to be kept for whole day without food & water and married women who wholeheartedly keep vrat on this day are blessed with saubhagya. The sacredness of the vrat has been observed from the ancient times when the Lord Krishna told Draupadi for keeping fast on the day, which in turns empowered Arjuna to defeat the Kauravas on Kurukshetra battlefield. The unparalleled love of the Satyavan and Savitri is also cited as an example of wife's love and devotion who at last compelled Yamraj to avert his husband's death. When Lord Yama came to take Satyavan's soul, her wife Savitri pleaded him to grant new life to her husband. When he refused to do so, she stopped eating and drinking anything, which in turns relent the Yamraj and he gave new life to Satyavan.

On the day of Karwa Chauth, women keep a kalash or small container filled with either milk or water and also put pancha ratna. These are the 5 pieces made up of gold, silver, brass, copper and iron. Afterwards the same kalash is given to the brahamin. Prayer is also offered to the Lord Ganesha whilst presenting the kalash. In evening after taking bath married women place idols of lord Shiva with his consort Parvati and sons Ganesha and Kartikeya under the banyan tree. In the absence of such tree, they draw picture of it. Shodashopachar or sixteen step pooja is done with the enchanting of 'Om Namah Shivaya'. Thereafter 'arghya' is given to moon. After offering to moon, wife worship her husband with the panchopchar or gandh, flowers, incense sticks, diya. Those women whose husbands are distance away, they pray to God for his long life and then bring an end to the fast.

Karwa Chauth is always looked upon for pampering dear ones with loads of gifts and presents. It is the day when women are loaded with expensive gifts from their husbands and in-laws. As the festival connotes with the marriage therefore, all the symbols of married women like jewelery, apparels, bangles, henna, are found to be on great demand. Now a days many husbands love to take their wives out for the dinner after the completion of fast. Deck with all their love and affection, husbands like to keep their wife out of the drudges of the household, at least for one day. One of the most important gift item of the karvachauth is sargi, which is given by mother-in-law to their daughter-in-law and without which the festival cannot be said to be completed. It comprises of the delicious food items like sweets, dry fruits, which needs to be eaten before the sun rise. In the evening of karvachauth, mothers of newly wed girls present baya to the family of their son-in-law. It comprises of sweets, dry fruits and gifts. It should reach to the girl's place before the starting of evening pooja.

In today's fast, commercialization world, Karwa Chauth has still holded its immense importance and popularity in modern society. However the Karvachauth fast is not the celebration of one day when women pray to God for blessing her consort with long life and prosperity but is now symbolizes towards the unflagging devotion of her towards their better half. All those women who give wishful offerings while observing the vrat, are blessed with progeny and happy married life. Such pious rituals showcase the beautiful myriad of eternal love and devotion of women which she has holded beneath under the heart for her husband. These are those precious and special moments of life which not only bless the lives of husband and wife with love but also unite them in the unbreakable bonding of feelings and emotions.