Every year, the Hindu deity Shiva and goddess Parvati are honored at the one-day festival known as Karwa Chauth. The only festival in the world that represents a woman’s love and adoration for her spouse is called Karva Chauth.
To desire for their spouse to have a long life, the woman observes a full-day fast on this day. Sikh and Hindu ladies celebrate Karwa Chauth all around the world. The woman observes a full-day fast to demonstrate her loyalty to her husband and express her hopes for a long life for him.
The Hindu Karwa Chauth event is held in Kartik month, according to their lunisolar calendar (October or November). Unmarried women observe a fast on this day in various Indian states to find the right life mate.
What is the meaning of karva chauth?
The terms “Karva Chauth” and “Chauth,” which both indicate fourth, are combined to form the word. A clay pot with a spout is referred to as a “karva.”
The clay pot has great significance since the women deliver water to the moon using it during the festival rites. Whatever its history, the holiday is a chance to deepen family bonds.
History of Karva Chauth
The precise history of this festival’s beginning is unknown from any official sources. However, the Bhagwad Gita has several traditions that place the beginning of Karva Chauth in the mythical era.
There once was a stunning queen named Verratti, the lone sister among her seven brothers. She observed a fast one day in hopes of a long marriage. She was waiting impatiently for the sun to rise while feeling hungry.
Her brothers made an illusion of a moon using mirrors and pipal tree leave because they could not view their sister in this posture. Veeravati recognized that as the moon and ended her fast. She quickly learned that her husband was critically ill.
In her haste to reach her husband’s palace, she encountered Lord Vishnu and Parvati. They told her that she had broken her fast, which was why her husband died. She expressed regret and requested that they wish her spouse well.
Lord Vishnu then demanded that she observe the severe procedures of the Karva Chauth fast in exchange. Her spouse became completely satisfied once she had finished all the procedures.
The clay vessel known as an argha, or water offering, is referred to as a karwa or karak. Karwa is given to the Brahmin or any other suitable woman during Puja and is given great importance.
North Indian states are more accustomed to celebrating Karwa Chauth than South Indian ones are. Ahoi Ashtami Vrat is practiced for boys’ welfare after four days of Karwa Chauth.
Why do women keep fast on karva chauth?
Before the period of the Mahabharata, women were believed to observe a fast and do puja for their husbands on Karva Chauth. According to legend, Draupadi kept this fast. Arjun once left for Nilgiri to perform penance, leaving the other Pandavas with many difficulties.
When Draupadi realized that Lord Krishna was present, she pleaded for assistance. Lord Krishna reminded her that when Goddess Parvati had previously asked Lord Shiva for advice in a similar situation, she had been told to keep the Karva Chauth fast.
Draupadi complied with the directives and observed the fast and the associated rites.
Karva Chauth In Uttar Pradesh
Karva Chauth begins early because women get up early on the festival day to enjoy a Sargi. In Uttar Pradesh, Sargi is a celebration that includes feni (vermicelli) dipped in sweet milk, a platter of sweets and savory foods, coconut, dried fruits, fara (steamed lentil dumplings), and presents like traditional Indian clothing and jewelry.
The trinkets that indicate a Hindu woman’s marital status are the most significant parts of this gift. Some are toe rings, anklets, glass bangles, vermillion, bindi/tika, and alta (red paint applied on feet). Women also decorate their hands with mehendi (henna).
Afterward, ladies exchange thalis in a circle, sing songs about Karva Chauth and pray to Goddess Paravati. In some other communities, mothers, and daughters-in-law offer prayers at home and trade karvas.
The older ladies then wish the younger ones a lifetime of marriage with phrases like “Akhand Saubhagyavati bhav” or “sada suhagan raho,” which both mean “may you be a married lady.” There is a nervous wait for the moonrise after the prayers. Women finish the rites by praying to the moon as soon as they see it.
In certain areas of Uttar Pradesh, people give prayers while distributing kumkum, a crimson pigment used by Hindus, rice, flowers, and sweets, and drawing the face of the moon with rice paste on the ground. They then shout prayers while offering water via their karvas seven times.
Karva Chauth in Punjab
Like its neighboring states, Karva Chauth celebrations begin early in the morning when married ladies get ready before the sun rises. The woman’s mother delivers Bayaa the night before Karva Chauth, including presents for the mother-in-law and her daughter and clothing, coconut, sweets, fruits, and sindoor (vermillion).
The daughter-in-law is then expected to drink the Sargi (a meal eaten before dawn on the day of Karva Chauth) that her mother-in-law has provided for her.
Fresh fruits, dried fruits, desserts, chapatis, and veggies are all part of it. As the afternoon draws near, ladies gather with their thalis (a large plate). It includes gifts for the mother-in-law, coconut, dried fruits, a diya (lamp), and a glass of kachi lassi (a milk-and-water beverage). A fabric is used to cover the thali.
The ladies then gather and sit in a circle around the idol of Gaura Maa (Goddess Parvati). At the same time, an elderly, wise woman tells them the Karva Chauth narrative and ensures the pooja is done properly.
The thalis are then moved around the circle by the ladies. Due to how this event has been portrayed in Bollywood films and television shows, its practices have changed.
Conclusion
I wish you all a very happy Karva Chauth as the bride souls of Shiva, the Supreme Bridegroom! Married ladies dress up like brides to honor their marriages with their spouses and apply mehandi on this day.
They break their fast at daybreak and continue to fast until they see the moon. Gifts are given to married ladies by their husbands and in-laws as a sign of affection and wealth. Unmarried women also fast on this day in several regions of India, hoping to find their ideal life mate.