Karva Chauth Fast

1. karva Chauth is one of the traditional Hindu festivals celebrated mostly in North India by married women. Karva Chauth is a oneday festival celebrated by Hindu women in North India in which married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for the safety and longevity of their husbands. The fast is observed in the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, western Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya P .....

Become familiar with the point behind Karva Chauth

2. It is a one day festival when devoted Hindu wives carry out auspicious rituals for the well being of their husbands. They fast the whole day without taking any food or water in order to show their devotion and readiness to suffer for their husbands and to ensure the long life of their husbands. In the evening the ladies listen to the Karva Chauth Katha (the legend). The fast is broken after sighting the moon. .....

If you are participating in it as a woman you will need to fast for the day

3. Start the fast at night after the first appearance of the moon. You must be within sight of your husband. .....

Wait for the moonrise on the next night to begin the fastbreaking activities

4. That evening, dress in your finest, including jewellery and henna in preparation for the sighting of the moon. .....

Offer food and prayer to the moon upon seeing it

5. Make lots of the variety of food on this special day. And give to god with the prayer. .....

Take the first bite of food and water from your husband

6. This should be followed by a special meal that has been prepared just for this event. .....

Etymology and origins

7. Karva is another word for pot (a small earthen pot of water) and chauth means fourth in Hindi (a reference to the fact that the festival falls on the fourth day of the darkfortnight, or krishna paksh, of the month of Kartik). It is uncertain how the festival originated and how it came to be celebrated only in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. One hypothesis is that military campaigns and longdistance travel usually resumed around .....

Rituals

8. Women begin preparing for Karva Chauth a few days in advance, by buying cosmetics (shringar), traditional adornments or jewelry, and puja items, such as the Karva lamps, matthi, henna and the decorated puja thali (plate). Local bazaars take on a festive look as shopkeepers put their Karva Chauth related products on display. On the day of the fast, women from Punjab awake to eat and drink just before sunrise. In Uttar Pradesh, celebrants eat soot .....

Popular cultural aspects and critiques

9. In modern North Indian society, Karva Chauth is considered to be a romantic festival, symbolizing the love between a husband and wife. It has been celebrated in Bollywood movies such as Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, where an unmarried woman signals her love for a man by keeping the fast for him and he reciprocates by secretly fasting as a gesture of empathy, as well as demonstrating his concern for her during the day and breaking her fast by feedi .....

Sikhism and Karva Chauth

10. Sikh doctrine opposes austerities and ritualism for spiritual benefit, including the concepts of pilgrimage and fasting. The Sikh gurus did not support the idea of any spiritual or religious benefits of fasting. Specifically, while fasting is permitted for health reasons, fasting as an austerity, as a ritual, as a mortification of the body by wilful hunger is forbidden in Sikhism, whether it is Karva Chauth, Ramadhan or any other fast. This appro .....

The Story of Queen Veervati

11. A beautiful queen called Veervati was the only sister of seven loving brothers. She spent her first Karva Chauth as a married woman at her parents house. She began a strict fast after sunrise but, by evening, was desperately waiting for the moonrise as she suffered severe thirst and hunger. Her seven brothers couldnt bear to see their sister in such distress and created a mirror in a pipal tree that made it look as though the moon had risen. The .....

The Legend of Mahabharata

12. The belief in this fast and its associated rituals goes back to the preMahabharata times. Draupadi, too, is said to have observed this fast. Once Arjun went to the Nilgiris for penance and the rest of the Pandavas faced many problems in his absence. Draupadi, out of desperation, remembered Lord Krishna and asked for help. Lord Krishna reminded her that on an earlier occasion, when Goddess Parvati had sought Lord Shivas guidance under similar circ .....

The Legend of Karva

13. A woman named Karva was deeply devoted to her husband. Her intense love and dedication towards him gave her shakti (spiritual power). While bathing at a river, her husband was caught by a crocodile. Karva bound the crocodile with a cotton yarn and asked Yama (the god of death) to send the crocodile to hell. Yama refused. Karva threatened to curse Yama and destroy him. Yama, afraid of being cursed by Pativrat (devoted) wife, sent the crocodile to .....

The Story of Satyavan and Savitri

14. When Lord Yama came to procure Satyavans soul, Savitri begged him to grant him life. When he refused, she stopped eating and drinking and followed Yama who carried away her dead husband. Yama said that she could ask for any other boon except for the life of her husband. Savitri asked that she be blessed with children. Yama agreed. Being a PatiVrat (devoted) wife, Savitri would never let any other man be the father of her children. Yama was left w .....

karvachauth Festival & its Social Significance

15. The festival of Karva Chauth was emerged as a day to celebrate the season of autumn and enjoy the company of friends and relatives. But later on, many mythological legends were added to give it a religious touch. This festival is glorified and widely solemnized by the Hindus and Sikh of northwestern India. As the name signifies, Karva meaning a clay pot and chauth corresponding to the fourth, this festival is commemorated on the the fourth day af .....

Regional Significance of Karva Chauth

16. karva Chauth festival has an extraordinary observance rate among married women in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. This is a significant day for married women as they keep fast for the longlife and wellbeing of of their husbands. The way of celebrating karva Chauth vary from each other on regional basis. .....

karva Chauth in Punjab

17. The festival of karva chauth is one of the most important festival for married women in Punjab. Few days before this auspicious festival, all the markets in Punjab gets flooded with various accessories and decorative items including bangles, beautiful sarees, embroidered suits, stalls of sweets and eatables. Number of artists from different cities like Agra, Jaipur, Delhi, etc gather here with their special mehndis to decorate hands of women. In .....

karva Chauth in Rajasthan

18. Among the women of Rajasthan, the festival of karva Chauth has its own meaning. The women make the karvas with mud and fill them with rice and wheat. They wear their weddingday dress or chunris on this auspicious day. karva Chauth generally falls on the full moon day of the month Jyeshtha. This is also known as Vata Purnima. Interestingly, the woman who observes this fast is not only blessed with welfare of her husband but also wins the same husb .....

karva Chauth in Uttar Pradesh

19. In Uttar Pradesh, the married women keep the fast and pray for the longlife of their husband. They decorate the walls of their home with drawings of Gauri Ma, the moon and the sun. They also make the karva with mud and perform the evening puja with earthen lamps. Before looking at the moon, the women pray to the figurines at their doorstep. .....

karva Chauth in Other states

20. Other Indian states also observes this fast. In Gujarat, many women observe this fast with great spirit. In Madhya Pradesh also, most of them follow the traditions of the women from Uttar Pradesh. In all these states the first Karva Chauth of any new bride is a very important festival. New clothes, new jewelery and gifts from both mother and motherinlaw are received. The wedding day outfits are worn once again, mehndi is applied and the family ga .....

Regional Names of karva Chauth

21. karva ChauthUttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Gujarat, Delhi and others.VatSavitri PujaBihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Orissa.Teej Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.MahashivratriThroughout India (major states include Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Maharastra)GangaurRajasthan, Gujarat & BengalVaralakshmi VrathamSouth India states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and KarnatakaKaradaiyan NombuTamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and And .....

karva Chauth Celebrations

22. The day of Karva Chauth is celebrated mostly amongst the entire North Indian community settled either in India and other parts of the world. The most important aspect of this day is that a dawn to dusk fast is undertaken by the North Indian ladies and seeing the moon they finally break the fast. The Karva Chauth fast is unique perhaps because nowhere in the world does a wife go without food or water just to pray for the longevity and wellbeing of .....

The Tradition of karva Chauth

23. The traditional Indian calendar is one long pageant of colorful festivals, a colorful mosaic of festivals, fairs and fasts as diverse as the land itself. The festival and fast of Karva Chauth is celebrated with much exuberance and fanfare. It is considered an important and auspicious day for married women. A married woman celebrates this day with great fervor and dedication, by observing a fast and praying for the long life of her husband. The fa .....

First karva Chauth

24. Karva Chauth is of great importance for married Hindu women but the festival is seen as a big occasion for women undertaking their first Karva Chauth fast after marriage. A newly married woman is given utmost importance by relatives and immediate family members when she observes her first fast for the long life of her husband. She is showered with blessings of blissful married life and loads of Karva Chauth gifts especially by her motherinlaw.Fir .....

karva Chauth Puja Process

25. The fast of karva Chauth is kept 9 days before Diwali. It falls on the fourth day of the Kartik month by the Hindu calendar (fourth day of the waning moon or the dark fortnight).The pooja preparations start a day in advance. Married women buy the shringar or the traditional adornments and the other pooja items like the karva, matthi, heena etc. Early in the morning they prepare food and have it before sunrise. The morning passes by in other festi .....

Importance Of Fasting

26. Hindus believe it is not easy to unceasingly pursue the path of spirituality in ones daily life. Therefore a worshiper must strive to impose restrains on to get the mind focused. And one form of restraint is fasting. However, fasting is not only a part of worship, but a great instrument for selfdiscipline too. It is a training of the mind and the body to endure and harden up against all hardships, to persevere under difficulties and not give up. .....

karva Chauth Fast

27. karva Chauth is a ritual of fasting observed by married Hindu women seeking the longlife, wellbeing and prosperity of their husbands. Married women keep a strict fast and do not take even a drop of water. It is the most important and difficult fast observed by married Hindu women. It begins before sunrise and ends only after offering prayers and worshiping the moon at night. No food or water can be taken after sunrise. The fast is broken once the .....

karva Chauth Items

28. karva Chauth vrat is an ancient Indian tradition, which is still followed with full warmth and admiration by almost all married Indian women. Indeed, every women want to pray for the happiness and long life of her husband. Food items, beauty essential or makeup items, clothing items, and puja items constitute the significant items that are required for karva Chauth festival by the woman performing the karva Chauth Fast (vrat). .....

Tradition of Gifting

29. Inspite of being one of the toughest fast, Karva Chauth is always looked forward and is welcomed by married woman with great fervor. One of the reason behind this joy and happiness is the golden chance of receiving expensive and beautiful gifts from their husbands and relatives. As this festival is considered very important for married women, all the symbols that reflects the marriage status of a woman is in high demand such as jewelery, bangles, .....

Henna Designs For Palm

30. A full hand design, either palm or back with the help of henna paste looks always trendy. While Arabic henna designs are usually large, floral patterns on the hands, Indian mehndi involves fine, thin lines for lacy, floral and paisley patterns covering entire hand and also forearms. Most traditional henna patterns are based on very simple shapes circles, triangles and lines are the most basic. These shapes can be combined to create a very intric .....

Henna Designs For Feet

31. Henna designs done on the feet, involves painting beautiful and elaborate patterns with a dye made from crushed leaves of the henna plant. The Middle Eastern style consisted mostly of floral patterns inspired by Arabic carvings, paintings and textiles. This casual style did not usually follow a specific pattern. The North American style accentuated the shape of the feet using geometric floral patterns. The Indian and Pakistani designs are made up .....

Henna Designs For Body Decoration

32. Henna artisans brings along its creative henna art that include all the latest trends that come in, to give a continues variety. From tiny roses on shoulders to full body motifs, tattoos have made their way into the mainstream life as a modern genre of artistic expression.Intrigued by the creation of beautiful designs on the body, henna mehndi is being used by women worldwide as a mode of selfexpression. The designs originate from the practices f .....

karva Chauth Thali Decoration

33. A decorated thali is a very important component for performing the Karva Chauth puja. A puja thali, also known as Baya, containing the roli, vermilion, sacred water, dry fruits like almonds, pishta etc., earthen clay pots, diyas and different types of Indian sweets, in their respective katoris, is tastefully decorated. The art of creating attractive thalis for puja may also contain the ritualistic decoration like rangoli and alpana. Puja thali ca .....

Karva Chauth Greeting Cards

34. Apart from the traditional customs ranging from women wearing bright new clothes and fast the whole day for the long lives of their husbands, the recent trend also include exchanging greetings cards. This can be given to the married woman by her husband or inlaws, or from her own parents and friends. As this traditional festival is not only celebrated in largely agrarian, maledominated states like Punjab and Uttar Pradesh but also in relatively l .....