Karva Chauth

“…She welcomes the moon, as she gleams in the presence of her husband, her most treasured attainment of her being.”

I grew up in a society where Vedic traditions and customs are given the highest priorities, where they govern, every ceremony from the pre-marital rituals to marriages, governance of children, habitations and till the final attainment of Moksha.

In such a scenario, there are many festivals and occasions where the whole family gets closer, sharing joys, celebrations and grateful moments to the Lord almighty. One of the most vivid memories while growing up was of one such festival- Karva Chauth. The day I would see all the married ladies in our house dressed up in all their fineries- Brides beautifully adorned, of all ages, from the shy yet excited newlywed wives to the experienced, graceful grandmothers. It is a day that has been holding true to the principal of devotion of the Vedas since time immemorial.

As an unmarried girl, I knew this festival had immense importance to most women who observed the strenuous fast of devotion toward their husbands. However, what the essence was, of this ritual only became clear to me after I got married last year. 
People tend to believe that most traditions are procedures. Well, to each one his own, but, after I observed this fast, read the Katha (story) of Karva  Chauth, not only did it bring tears to my eyes, for the first time, I bent down and touched my husbands’ feet, which in normal course, would only bring bouts of giggles from both of us. 
Anybody reading this might in all probabilities feel that I am a very emotional, traditional, conservative person. But, on the contrary, to be brutally honest, I am hardly any of these. Just like the generation today, all of 25 years, I fail to understand the nuances of puja-pranayama, but I do not disrespect or disregard them. I am curious to know about traditions and customs, but not necessarily because I will begin to follow them mindlessly. 
Now, having said this let me take you on a guided tour to discover the Festival of Karva Chauth- Festival that celebrates true love, trust, devotion and respect.
As I had mentioned, my first experience of observing the vrat (fast) led to a teary eyed smile and a lot of change in my attitude and understanding of  the term marital bliss. As you read ahead, perhaps, it will be clear to you why this simple occasion becomes the most awaited day for any married woman.
The Festival of Karva Chauth falls in the month of Karthik, October- November. Generally it takes place about 9-10 days before Deepavali. It is said to be the toughest traditions of a fast wherein the wife does not eat a morsel or drink even a drop of water from sunrise till moonrise. Only when a wife looks at the moon, shall she drink her first drop of water. 

Though the legends and origins of Karva Chauth are innumerable, the essence and method to follow Karva Chauth is pretty much the same regardless of the region.

The festivities for Karva Chauth traditionally begin a week ahead of the festival itself. In many cultures across North and South India, the wives purchase and collect the sixteen wedded symbols better known as the solah sringar- Mang tikka(Forehead adornment), Bindi, Sindoor (Vermillion), Kajal(Kohl), Nath(nose ring), Haar(Necklace), Bali(Ear rings), Bajuband (Arm band), Mehndi (Heena), Anguthi (Finger rings), Chudiyan(Bangles), Kamarband(Waist Band), Payals(Anklets), Nupur(Toe-rings) and Ittar(perfume). Though with changing times, not all women wear all of these adornments, yet, sindoor, bindi, mangal sutra/necklaces and mehndi are still considered the most important ones. I personally love each one of them and sport them with utmost pride!

Then as the day nears on, the mother-in-law as a custom sends Sargi to the daughter-in-law observing the fast. Sargi comprises of various things depending upon the regional custom. It usually consists of Dry fruits, Milk sevai also known as Milk vermicelli, Mathri etc. Sometimes, if the mother-in-law stays near or in the same house, she may even prepare the pre-dawn meal for the lady observing the fast.
The Karva Chauth begins for the wife pre-dawn, before sunrise. She gets up early, before the birds, takes a bath, wears the bangles of devotion and sindoor, offers prayers and sits down to begin the fast by eating the contents of the Sargi, like the sevai, mathris and in a few cases, even chapatti with any side dish that does not contain too much salt. 
The idea behind eating this early is that an early bite, helps you to sustain through the day. And it is said that the dry fruits and sevai prevent the throat from parching up, since, there will be no water throughout the day too!

Traditionally, on this day, the women generally don’t work too hard, for the obvious reasons, but keeping the Indian societal context in mind, they do end up doing their daily chores of the household work. Don’t worry, devotion gives a lot of strength. A loving husband of course, makes it a cakewalk, ask me, I know!
In the olden days, this day was spent by the womenfolk spending time together, singing songs, applying heena and getting each other ready, however, with urbanisation and lack of time, friendship and an overdose of careers, the day usually just whizzes past except for the evening bit of course when normally young wives prance up and down waiting for one glimpse of the moon!
In the evening, all the women observing the fast, gather together to perform the Karva Puja. The Karva puja is performed by the priest or any elderly. The ladies sit in a circle with each one holding her own Puja Thali. At this stage, all the women are dressed in their fineries, like brides and have been through a whole day of fasting, yet, even at this point, you will see an elegant glow and happiness on their faces; after all, it is for their husbands, their jeevan sathis or life partners.
The thali is another very traditional and logical part of the Karva Chauth tradition. According to the various kathas or stories of Karva Chauth, there are few essential elements of the Puja- A diya made of Atta or an earthern oil lamp, sindoor-akshat or vermillion with holy rice, a Karva/ earthern pot filled with water (in some cases people fill it with wheat grains also), flowers, and any sweet like barfi, jalebi etc.
All the women now, pray to Goddess Parvati, whose form can be depicted by a coconut draped in a sari, or even an idol made of mud. The ladies sit around it and then pass the thalis from left to right sixteen times, till each gets her own thali back. The prayer chant is called the Katha geet. It is more of a story of the festival of Karva Chauth and its significance. 
A few Stories that have been told and retold time and again, and have become inter-woven within each other are as follows-

 Once upon a time, there was a Queen Veervati, who was the only sister among seven brothers. While her husband the king was away, she had to observe the fast of Karva Chauth. She along with her brothers’ wives prayed and went through the day perfectly, however, towards the evening; she became very thirsty and hungry. Seeing her condition, her brothers decided to trick her into breaking the fast. They went on a hill far away and lit a fire, and then they came back and told Veervati that she may break her fast since the moon is out. Believing her brothers, she broke her fast. Unfortunately, just then she received the news that her husband had gone into a comatose state. Crying uncontrollably, she prayed to Goddess Parvati, who appeared and told her about the trickery of her brothers. Knowing that Veervati had broken the fast unknowingly, the Goddess asked Veervati to observe the fast again with due diligence and her husband would come back to life. Veervati observed the fast again, and as the legend goes, her husband came back to life, hale and hearty.

Another interesting version which my mother had told me was of another queen who began the tradition of this fast. Narrating this story, my mother, sweetheart that she is, often tries to hold back her tears but to no avail. This story centres around the Katha geet that is sung during the passing of the thalis. It tells us about what all a wife should not do during the fast. Curious to know what those restricted things are? Read on.
Once upon a time, there was a queen, who loved her husband, the king dearly. One day, the king had to go for a battle suddenly, and the queen was heartbroken. To pray for his safe return, she decided to undertake the strict observance of this fast. However, she did not pay heed to the Katha properly, and missed out on the few restricted things that must not be done during the fast.
She had been sewing during the fast, which led to her husband being covered in millions of needles; she had to take them all out one by one. She went on and on, removing each needle carefully, till one day, there was only one needle left. Just then, her neighbour who was a childhood friend called out to her, and she ran out. The maid, who had been seeing the condition of the queen, went and removed the last needle from the King’s body. Just then the king came alive and mistook the maid to be his wife. He was very happy and proclaimed the maid the new queen since he had forgotten everything! The Queen became sad, and was confined to the chambers as the maid. For many months, the queen kept singing to herself, “Rani bani dasi, dasi bani rani.” (The empress is now the maid, and maid is now the empress).
 One day, the king heard this one day and asked her what this meant. The Queen told him the whole story and she vowed to keep the fast again to prove her devotion. She observed the Karva Chauth again, and the king regained his memory and the queen got her rightful place.

 When any woman observes the fast, there are a few activities according to a folksong known as the Katha Geet that she must never do during the fast. 
- She must not cut anything.
- She must throw anything
- She must not use the Spinning Wheel
- She must not go into another woman’s house 
- She must not sew, or play with needle and thread
- She must not try to pacify or awaken any upset or sleeping person
- She must not drink water before sighting the moon.

Being a Punjabi, I always love the original songs better; in this case, here is the real Katha Geet-
“Veera kudiye Karvara
Sarv suhagan karavara,
Ae katti na, ateri na,
Khumb charkah feri na,
Gwand paier payin na,
Suiich dhaage payiin na,
Ruthra manai na,
Sutra jagaiin na,
Behen pyari veera,
Chan chadhe te paani peevan,
Le veera kudiye karvara,
Le sarv suhaagan karvara”

As the seven rounds of thalis get over, the ladies sing this Katha geet for each round. Also, with many other versions of this story, the gathering creates a strong emotional bond between all the ladies.

After the prayers which finish just before sunset, the ladies go back to the usual work and chores and wait patiently for the Moon to smile down. The husbands at this hour usually do the running in and out to check whether the Lunar God has appeared or not. 
After the moon is seen, the wife with a Sieve and her puja thali begins the final prayer to God thanking almighty for his blessings for a wonderful husband and seeks blessings for the long life of her husband. As per tradition, one lighted diya is placed on the sieve and the wife first looks at the moon and then at her husband. She then offers water to the moon called Ark. This moon-husband gazing and water offering is done either 7 or 16 times, depending upon the ritual.
After this, traditionally, the wife touches the feet of her elders, and her husband seeking the blessing of Sada-suhagan bhava which means always stay married happily. With this, the husband offers her the first morsel of food and water which is generally something sweet. 
Believe me, once you go through with tradition and do it with all your heart, understanding the smallest intricacies and emphasis of the ritual, you and your spouse will come out stronger, closer and more in love.