Karwa Chauth is one of the most important festivals for married women in India. It is celebrated on the fourth day of the waning moon in the Kartik month, which usually falls in October or November. On this day, women observe a strict nirjala fast (without food or water) from sunrise to moonrise for the safety, longevity, and well-being of their husbands.
The Karwa Chauth celebrations begin early in the morning. Women wake up before sunrise to eat a pre-dawn meal called sargi. This meal is usually prepared by the mother-in-law and includes nutritious foods such as fruits, nuts, and milk. After eating the sargi, women begin their fast.
Throughout the day, women may spend their time listening to stories about Karwa Chauth, singing devotional songs, or praying to the deities. In the evening, women gather together to perform the Karwa Chauth puja. This puja is usually performed by a priest or a knowledgeable elder woman. During the puja, women offer prayers to the goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva, and they also listen to stories about the significance of the festival.
Once the moon rises, women break their fast by offering water to the moon first and then to their husbands. Husbands then offer their wives gifts and sweets to celebrate the occasion. This is a day of great joy and celebration for married couples in India.
Karwa Chauth Date 2024 And Time
This year Karwa Chauth will be celebrated on 20 Oct, 2024.
- Karwa Chauth Puja Muhurat – 05:45 PM to 07:05 PM
- Karwa Chauth Upavasa Time – 06:25 AM to 07:54 PM
- Moonrise on Karwa Chauth Day – 07:54 PM
Why is Karwa Chauth Celebrated?
The celebration has a long and rich history that can be traced back to Hindu mythology. According to one mythology, the goddess Parvati observed the Karwa Chauth fast to bring back her husband, Lord Shiva, who had been killed by the demon Andhakasura. According to another story, the festival was created by the women of the seven sages, who fasted to save their husbands from a curse.
Whatever the origins of the festival may be, Karwa Chauth is a day when women express their love and devotion to their husbands. It is a day to strengthen the marital bond and to pray for the long and happy life of the spouse.
Karwa Chauth 2024 Rituals
Sargi
Sargi is a food platter provided by the mother-in-law to the daughter-in-law that includes fruits, traditional mathri, sweets, phirni, dried fruits, milk, subji, and paranthas. This meal is traditionally eaten before dawn, after having a bath and giving early morning prayers. Sargi typically comprises items that will keep a woman satisfied till the time of the moon sighting.
Engaged or married ladies may also get presents from their mother-in-law’s side, which may include clothes, beauty products, jewellery, or other items that can be used on the big day. A woman might have the sargi alone at dawn or with other ladies in the family. It is one of the festival’s most essential rituals and customs that should not be ignored.
Baya
‘Baya’ refers to presents given by daughters-in-law to their mothers-in-law. It includes clothing, jewels, food, utensils, and other religious offerings. Women present this to their mothers-in-law and ask for their blessing. Baya is also presented to other female relatives of the household in various parts of India.
Karwa Chauth Katha And Puja
Following the Sargi, an essential practice of the celebration is to participate in the Puja and listen to the traditional katha (tale). The puja should always be performed before the moon rises. Specific times, based on the Shubh Muhurat, specify when the puja and prayers are to be performed.
Fasting women gather in one location to worship Goddess Parvati and listen to the Karwa Chauth Katha. A fasting woman can break her fast only after the puja has been performed and the moon has been spotted. A special thali is cooked under the supervision of one’s mother-in-law or family elder for the occasion.
Breaking The Karwa Chauth Fast
The moon’s arrival signals the conclusion of the fast. The thali is used, and it includes a traditional sieve, diya, a traditional karwa light, sweet, and Prashad. Women use the sieve to see the moon, see their spouse, and provide water. They will be able to eat and drink after this. It should be remembered that thali should be turned three times clockwise and then anticlockwise.
Do’s And Don’ts Of Karwa Chauth
Women dress in vibrant hues and resemble new brides during the Karwa Chauth celebration. While it is not a traditional custom, ladies are prohibited from wearing unfortunate colours such as white and black. Red and pink are symbolic colours. Wearing jewels and applying henna to one’s hands are additional customs observed on the day. Similarly, fasting women are not encouraged in certain areas to chop, cook, or engage in domestic duties that might wear them out.
Karwa Chauth For Newlywed Brides
The first Karwa Chauth holds significance for any married woman. It is an excellent day for both the husband and wife’s families. Everyone in the family, friends, and relatives come to wish the newlywed pair well, and the bride receives presents from everyone. To make newlywed ladies feel special on Karwa Chauth, thoughtful presents from in-laws and maternal homes should be given to them.
The newlywed daughter-in-law should also gift her mother-in-law a specifically crafted Baya filled with clothing, jewels, food, and wedding accessories. This practice is carried out to obtain blessings from the mother-in-law.
Sargi is another major celebration rite. The mother-in-law should personally offer the Sargi to her daughter-in-law on the first Karva Chauth. Fruits, mathri, sweets, dried fruits, and other food items are included in the Sargi dish. Both the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law should eat the Sargi before sunrise.
The first thing for newly married women is to take a bath in the morning. They should then clean the temple, light a diya, worship Maa Parvati, Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha, and Lord Kartikeya, make a nirjala vrat promise, and listen to the Karwa Chauth Katha.
Newlywed brides should dress in traditional red attire, do solah sringar, and apply mehendi on their hands and feet. They should avoid wearing black, brown, or white. While white and black are unlucky colours, brown denotes Rahu and Ketu. They can wear red, pink, yellow, green, and maroon in addition to red.
Puja Samagri List For Karwa Chauth
For the Karwa Chauth Puja, you will need the following items to perform the puja
- A tray to hold all the puja materials
- A Kalash (copper/brass/silver pot)
- A sieve (Channi)
- A lamp made of wheat dough
- An earthen pot with a lid or a pot with a nozzle
- Cotton wick
- Oil for the lamp
- Incense sticks
- Flowers
- Fruits
- Sweets
- Roli (vermilion)
- Akshat (unbroken rice grains)
- An oil lamp
- Sindoor (vermilion)
- Chandan (sandalwood paste)
- Kumkum (red powder)
- Haldi (turmeric)
- Honey
- Sugar
- Milk
- Water
- Raw milk
- Curd (yogurt)
- Ghee (clarified butter)
- Halwa (sweet pudding)
- Bhog (food offered to deities)
- Dakshina (offering or gift)
- Solah Shringar items, including mehendi, kajal, sindoor, lipstick, toe rings, nose pin, bangles, bindi, comb, mirror, mahavar/alta, red chunri (scarf), necklace, earrings, and more.
- Paan (betel leaf) and supari (betel nut)
- A wooden chowki (small wooden platform)
- Kapur (camphor)
- Karwa Chauth calendar or a photo of Maa Karva/Maa Chauth
- A red chunni
- A red cloth
- Karwa Chauth Vrat Katha book (narrative of the fast’s significance)
Karwa Chauth 2024: Simple Rules for Fasting And What to Do and Avoid
- The colour red is associated with the Karwa Chauth festival because it is considered auspicious and is worn by ladies throughout the celebrations. However, married ladies can wear other hues such as yellow, green, pink, and orange. They should, however, avoid using black or white.
- Another essential practice of Karva Chauth Puja is performing solah sringar and putting mehendi on the hands. Married ladies should apply henna on their hands a day before Karak Chaturthi and dress in traditional attire (preferably red), mangalsutra, bindi, bangles, earrings, rings, and other accessories. The sringar and mehendi are symbols of good fortune, wealth, and a happily married life.
- Sargi is another major Karwa Chauth vrat ceremony. It is a thali with various food items and presents presented to married ladies by their mother-in-law. Before beginning the fast, the Sargi should be consumed as a pre-dawn meal. In general, the thali is designed to supply all of the required nutrients and energy. Pheni, meethi seviyan, fruits, coconut, meethi mathri, dried fruits, sweets, paratha, and juice are all included.
- Proteins and carbohydrate-rich foods should be included in the pre-dawn meal since they take longer to digest and will keep you fuller for longer.
- Before the fast begins, drink as much water as you can. Dehydration might increase the likelihood of headaches and fatigue. Fresh fruit juices are another fantastic way to increase your fluid consumption. Meanwhile, avoid coffee and tea to avoid acidity.
- Women who observe the Karwa Chauth vrat should refrain from using scissors, needles, or knives.
- Pregnant women should avoid the Karwa Chauth fast since it can be stressful and harmful to their health.
- Baya is a Karwa Chauth gift sent by daughters-in-law to their mothers-in-law. It includes, among other things, clothing, jewellery, food, and utensils. Don’t forget to seek the blessings of your mother-in-law when performing the Baya.
- On their day, married ladies and their families should avoid eating non-vegetarian foods because they are tamasic in nature.
- Married ladies should participate in the Karwa Chauth puja and listen to the Katha before breaking their fast in the evening. The nirjala vrat is considered completed until this rite is performed.
Tips To Stay Energetic During Karwa Chauth 2024 For Women
- Drink plenty of water before dawn to keep hydrated throughout the day.
- Before the sun rises, eat a healthy Sargi that includes proteins, fibre, and complex carbohydrates.
- Try to avoid caffeinated liquids such as tea, coffee, and energy drinks.
- Divert your focus away from eating by reading, talking with loved ones, watching TV, or participating in creative activities.
- Avoid direct sunlight as much as possible since it might drain your energy.
- When it’s time to break your fast, start with some fruit or a glass of water to avoid indigestion.
- Maintain a cheerful attitude throughout the day.
