Married women celebrate the Hindu festival Karwa Chauth with great enthusiasm and fervour. On this day, women keep a ‘nirjala’ fast, which literally means a fast in which no food or water is consumed from sunrise to moonrise. Women fast on this day to pray for the safety and long life of their husbands, though many husbands now fast alongside their wives for the same reason.
Karwa Chauth is observed on the fourth day following Purnima in the month of Kartik, according to the Hindu calendar. On this day, married women dress up in new clothes (preferably red, which represents a happy married life) and apply mehendi to their hands as part of the festivities. Women who are fasting gather on this day to celebrate by telling folk tales, reading Karwa Chauth Vrat Katha, and singing folk songs, making it a lively festival. During the Karwa Chauth puja, women also worship Goddess Parvati, who is followed by Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesh, and Lord Kartikeya. The fast is later broken after catching a glimpse of the moon.
Though this Hindu festival is celebrated by women across India, it is particularly celebrated in northern region of the country which includes the states Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
Story and history of Karwa Chauth
There are various stories and legends behind celebrating this festival. Here are some of them:
The story of queen Veervati
The most well-known story is that of Veervati, the beautiful queen who was the only sister of seven loving brothers. She spent her first Karva Chauth as a married woman at her parents’ house. She started fasting after sunrise, but by evening, she was desperate for the moon to rise. She couldn’t stand the thirst and hunger any longer. Her brothers were heartbroken to see their beloved sister suffering from thirst and hunger as she fasted for Karwa Chauth. They begged her to break the fast, but she refused.
They tricked her by placing a round mirror in a Pipal tree, making it appear as if the moon had risen.
The story in Mahabharata
Another legend about fasting for your husband’s well-being dates back to the Mahabharat period. It is believed that Draupadi also observed this fast for the safety and long life of her husbands. The plot: When Arjun went to the Nilgris for penance, the rest of the Pandavas faced many problems in his absence. That’s when Draupadi remembered Lord Krishna’s assistance, and he reminded her that in a similar situation earlier, Goddess Parvati had kept a fast for Lord Shiva. Draupadi is inspired by this and observes the Karva Chauth fast, complete with rituals for her husbands. As a result, the Pandavas are able to confront and overcome their problems.
The story of Karva
Another popular tale in the legend of a woman named Karva who was a devoted wife. The story: Once whiole having a bath in the river, Karva’s husband was caught by a crocodile. In order to save him, Karva tied the crocodile with a cotton yarn and asked the God of death- Yama to send the animal to hell. When Yama refused, she threatened to destroy him with her curse. An afraid Yama then sent the crocodile to hell and blessed Karva’s husband to have a long life. And so, Karva and her husband lived happily together.
