Karwa Chauth in India (15/10)

Karva Chauth — is a traditional festival of married women taking place in parts of India, revered by Hindus in the country and abroad, and of great social and cultural significance.

On this day, married women fast, refusing water and food, thereby wishing their husband a long and successful life. This ritual symbolizes the devotion of wives to their husbands and the willingness to experience hardships in the name of their well-being.

The festival celebration falls in the month of Kartik according to the ancient Indian calendar (October — November according to the Gregorian calendar). Kartik ki chauth — is the fourth day of the moon waning after the full moon, 9 days before the holiday of lights — Diwali.

There are several legends about the origin of Karwa Chauth. According to one of them, a loving Karva saved her husband from a crocodile and asked the god of death, Yama, to take the crocodile to hell, and when he refused, she promised that she would curse him. And Yama, fearing the curse of a devoted woman, took the crocodile to hell, and Karva and her husband lived a long life in peace and harmony. And Yama's fear of being cursed by a loving wife, and her willingness to confront the god of death for the well-being of her husband, became symbols of female devotion and dedication.

Despite the fact that strict fasting is observed during the festival, many women are looking forward to the arrival of Karwa Chauth, since this holiday brings them closer not only to their husbands, but also to their husbands’ relatives, and also makes it possible to visit family and friends. On this day, husbands give gifts and jewelry to their wives and thank them for their love and devotion.

The fast begins at the moonrise and lasts until the next moonrise, when a festive pooja can be held and the fast can be broken by taking sweets from the husband's hands.

There are various options for the beginning of fasting and its end. For example, in Punjab, before the start of fasting, a girl must take a tali (dish with food) from her mother-in-law, and the next night, before breaking the fast, she looks at the moon through a sieve, and then at her husband’s face. During the day, girls paint their palms and feet with henna (henna symbolizes good luck and prosperity), put on elegant saris and their best jewelry, go to visit each other, and meet with relatives.

Karwa Chauth comes at a time after harvest and is a great opportunity to visit friends and family. In the evening comes the time of puja — worshiping the gods and offering them festive karva (karva — clay pot in which sweets, nuts, sindur, and jewelry are placed). Then the moon rises in the sky, and the wife takes food from the hands of her beloved husband.

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