Mainly in North India, married Hindu women hold Karwa Chauth with the highest respect. It celebrates for the health, wealth, and long life of a husband or wife on the fourth day of the Krishna Paksha in the month of Kartik. It is a day of fasting, prayer, and spiritual connection. Beyond its romantic meanings, however, Karwa Chauth is a richly religious and culturally significant practice that combines family, devotion, and mythology.
1.🌅 Sargi and Sunrise Vrat Begin the Day
Sargi, a pre-dawn supper customarily provided by the mother-in-law for her daughter-in-law, marks the start of the Karwa Chauth ceremonies before sunrise. For the duration of the nirjala vrat, a fast without food or water, this meal consists of dry fruits, sweets, fruits, and light foods that give you power. Sargi is a blessing and a representation of family unity in addition to being food.
Women start their fast, which lasts till moonrise, after eating Sargi. They abstain from food and liquids during the day in order to devote their prayers to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and ask for divine favors for their husbands’ health.
2.👗 Preparations for Solah Shringar and Puja
Women wear their best traditional clothing as the day goes on, frequently opting for lehengas or sarees in the colors of pink, maroon, or red, which stand for marital bliss and love. It is customary to wear sindoor, bangles, bindi, mehndi, and other decorative items that celebrate feminine grace and devotion as part of the Solah Shringar rite.
Flowers, diyas, and rangoli are used to beautify homes. A Chauth Mata image, a decorated puja thali with a diya, incense sticks, kumkum, and sweets, and the Karwa—a tiny clay container filled with milk or water, frequently holding coins or small offerings—are used to prepare the puja area.
3.🪔 Vrat Katha and Evening Puja
According to Drik Panchang for 2025, the Karwa Chauth puja is conducted during the Pradosh Kaal, usually from 5:57 PM to 7:11 PM. In homes or public places, women congregate in groups and sit in a circle holding their puja thalis. Lighting the diya and praying to Goddess Parvati, Lord Shiva, and Lord Ganesha are the first steps in the ceremonies.
Stories of Queen Veeravati, Savitri and Satyavan, and Karwa are told in the Vrat Katha (fasting story), each of which highlights the strength of devotion, selflessness, and divine intervention. Since it reaffirms the fast’s spiritual goal, listening to or reading the Katha is regarded as crucial.
4.🌝 Breaking the Fast and the Moonrise
The moonrise, which signifies the completion of the fast, is the most anticipated event of Karwa Chauth. Women carry their sieve (chalni) and puja thalis outside. When they see the moon, they look at it through the sieve, give the moon arghya (water), and then use the same sieve to look at their husband, signifying the relationship between marital love and heavenly blessings.
The process is then completed when the husband breaks his wife’s fast by giving her the first bite of food and a sip of water. This gesture strengthens the ties of respect and caring for one another and is very emotional and meaningful.
5.🌿 Traditions and Symbolism Following Puja
Following the puja, the Karwa is either stored for the following year, submerged in a river, or deposited beneath a sacred tree such as a banyan or peepal. Every technique has a unique spiritual meaning and is selected according to local traditions.
Karwa Chauth is a celebration of love, self-control, and spiritual fortitude rather than just a rite. It strengthens the sacred tie between husband and wife, acknowledges divine feminine energy, and unites families.
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