Karva Chauth is a one-day festival celebrated annually by married Hindu women in which they observe a fast from sunrise to moonrise and pray for the well-being and longevity of their husbands. The festival is also observed by unmarried women who pray in the hope of securing a desired life partner. It falls on the fourth day of the dark fortnight (Krishna paksh or the waning phase of the moon) in the month of Kartik of the Hindu lunar calendar. The date roughly falls between mid-October and late October. It is mainly celebrated in the northern states of India, including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

The word Karva Chauth is made up of two words, ‘Karva,’ which means an earthen pot with a spout and ‘Chauth,’ which means fourth. The earthen pot is of great significance because women use it to offer water to the moon as part of the festival rituals. It is said that this festival began when women began praying for the safe return of their husbands who had gone to fight wars in far-off lands. It is also held that it is celebrated to mark the end of the harvest season. Whatever the origins, the festival offers an occasion to strengthen familial ties.

The festival entails keeping a ‘Nirjala’ fast, in which women neither eat nor drink a drop of water throughout the day, and prayers are offered to the Goddess Gauri, an incarnation of Parvati, who bestows blessings for a long and happy married life.

Karva Chauth in Punjab

Much like its neighbouring states, festivities related to Karva Chauth start early in the morning, when married women wake up before the sun rises and get ready. The night before Karva Chauth, the woman’s mother sends Bayaa, which consists of clothes, coconut, sweets, fruits, and sindoor (vermillion) for her daughter and gifts for the mother-in-law. The daughter-in-law is then supposed to eat the Sargi (a meal consumed before sunrise on the day of Karva Chauth) given to her by her mother-in-law. It includes fresh fruits, dry fruits, sweets, chapatis, and vegetables.

As the afternoon approaches, women gather with their respective thalis (large plates). It contains coconut, fruits, dry fruits, a diya (lamp), a glass of kachi lassi (a drink made of milk and water), sweet mathri, and gifts for the mother-in-law. A cloth covers the thali. The women then come together and sit in a circle around the idol of Gaura Maa (Goddess Parvati), and the story of Karva Chauth is narrated by a wise, elderly woman who also ensures the pooja is performed correctly. The women then start to rotate the thalis around the circle. This is called thali batana. This ritual is performed seven times. While doing this, they sing the following song:

“Veeron Kudiye Karwada, Sarv Suhagan Karwada,
Ae Katti Na Ateri Naa, Kumbh Chrakhra Feri Naa,
Gwand Pair Payeen Naa, Sui Ch Dhaga Payeen Naa
Ruthda manayeen Naa, Suthra Jagayeen Naa,
Bhain Pyari Veeran, Chann Chade Te Pani Peena
Ve Veero Kuriye Kawara, Ve Sarv Suhagan Karwara”

The song highlights the precautions which need to be taken while women observe the fast. After the pooja, women touch their mothers-in-law’s feet and give them gifts of dry fruit as a symbol of respect.

Breaking the fast occurs when the moon shines brightly in the dark sky. They carry a Channi (sieve) and a pooja thali, which comprises a diya (made of wheat flour), sweets, and a glass of water. They go to a place where the moon is clearly visible, usually, the terrace. They look at the moon through the sieve and offer kachi lassi to the moon and recite the following prayer for their husband:

The rituals associated with this festival have changed over time due to their portrayal in Bollywood movies and television shows. It has also helped popularise this festival in such parts of India where it was not traditionally celebrated. Now, especially among the newlyweds, husbands too have started keeping fasts for their wives. Thus, an old festival continues to remain popular through its reinvention in both rural and urban social milieus.

Karva Chauth begins early, as women wake up at dawn on the day of the festival to have Sargi. In Uttar Pradesh, Sargi comprises feni (vermicelli) dipped in sweet milk, a plate full of sweets and savouries, coconut, dry fruits, fara (steamed lentil dumplings), and gifts such as traditional Indian wear and jewellery. The most important items in this gift are those that serve as markers of a Hindu woman’s marital status. These include toe rings, anklets, glass bangles, vermillion, bindi/tika, and alta (red paint applied to the feet). Women also apply mehendi (henna) on their hands.

The religious ceremonies begin a little before moonrise, when ladies dressed in their festive attire and bedecked in traditional jewellery and flowers, gather with other ladies of the neighbourhood to pray.

After this, women sing songs related to Karva Chauth, exchange their thalis in a circle, and offer prayers to Goddess Parvati. In some other areas, the mother-in-law and daughters-in-law perform the prayers at home and exchange karvas. Then the older women bless the younger ones with words such as ‘Akhand Saubhagyavati bhav’ or ‘sada suhagan raho,’ both of which mean ‘may you be a married woman all your life.’

After the prayers, there is an anxious wait for the moonrise. As soon as the moon is sighted, women complete the rituals by offering prayers to the moon. In some places in Uttar Pradesh, they draw a face of the moon with rice paste on the ground and say prayers while offering kumkum (a red pigment used by Hindus), rice, flowers, and sweets. After this, they offer water through their karvas seven times while chanting prayers. These chants include prayers such as:

‘Uth suhagan uth kulwanti nar, Bare Chanda ghee ke diye na baar’

Here, married women are exhorted to get up and offer prayers to the moon, which is a lamp greater than all the earthen lamps that they light up.