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Karva Chauth is the amalgamation of two different words. ‘Karva’ means ‘Diya’ or an oil-lamp made of clay, Chauth means four in Hindi. Celebrated on the fourth day in the month of Kartik as per the Hindu Calendar. It is widely celebrated in the northern part of India. This festival celebrates the auspicious bond of love and togetherness between a husband and wife. Married Hindu and Sikh women celebrate it to pray for their husbands’ longevity and wellness.
The Karva Chauth fast rules must be strictly followed. Listed below are Karva Chauth fast rules that must be followed by anyone who is keeping the fast:
● According to the Karva Chauth fast rules, women should not do any household work. They should apply Henna or Mehndi and dress up. Most women choose to dress up in clothes of bright colors like orange, red, golden. Some even wear their wedding outfit. Black/white-colored clothes should be avoided as they aren’t considered to bear good omen.
● Weaving or stitching of clothes, using tools like needles, scissors, knives should be strictly avoided.
● Meals containing onion or garlic are to be avoided the entire day. Neither of the two can be consumed even after breaking the fast.
● Women are not supposed to go to any agricultural farms or fields on this day.
● On this day, women should be polite to everyone and try and avoid hurting anyone. Especially elders should be treated with utmost love and respect. The occasion is to celebrate love and togetherness. Hence any kind of conflict should be avoided at all costs.
● Women should not offer Halwa during the evening puja.
● Giving or donating white-colored items like milk, curd, and rice should be avoided on this occasion. These things are known to bring in negativity. For newly wedded women it is important to know how to keep Karva Chauth fast. Given below is how to keep Karva Chauth fast the traditional way:
● Women should wake up early morning before sunrise. They should take a bath and wear their best clothes. They then eat Sargi or Sargai.
Sargi is prepared and given to the daughter in law by her mother in law. The Sargi must have coconut. Other items generally included in a Sargi are mathri, milk. Beverages like tea, coffee, fruits like banana, apple, and snacks and sweets are also included. A dish made from pheni and milk is usually also part of the sargi.
● Women are not allowed to have any food or drink anything before breaking the fast. Therefore, whatever they consume should be filling and should quench their thirst. They eat a heavy meal like roti-sabzi or aloo-poori and drink lots of liquids.
● Before consuming the Sargi, the daughter in law has to touch 7 things. These items she will offer to the religious lady or priestess during the evening puja. She should also put bindi and wear a red-colored chunri on her head.
● The sweet dishes from the sargi should be consumed first. This makes sure that they are starting their day on a sweet and positive note. It is supposed to bring in more happiness and sweetness in their married lives. The coconut is then broken by the husband. He too joins the wife in her early morning meal after that.
The above-given steps explain how to keep Karva Chauth fast. Women are not allowed to have even a morsel of food or a drop of water after this meal. The fast can only be broken after seeing the moon at night. Now we will talk about how to break Karva Chauth fast. Women need to know how to break Karva Chauth fast. Otherwise, the entire process of fasting might deem to be useless. Below it is discussed how to break Karva Chauth fast.
1. A Karva Chauth thali has to be prepared after the moon is visible. The Karva Chauth thali must have an oil lamp or Diya should be made out of wheat flour. Some mustard oil should be poured into it. After that, a cotton wick should be put into it to help in lighting the Diya. A glass or ‘lotta’ and a mathri should also be placed on the plate. The water in the lotta should be the water that had been offered in the evening puja. This is how the Karva Chauth thali is prepared.
2. Wear red chunri and remove your slippers. Stand on a stick or piece of wood. The lit Diya has to be placed in the sieve or ‘channi’. Women need to see the moon through the sieve.
3. The lit Diya then has to be thrown backward. Then women should pour water downwards in the direction of the moon. The moon should then be seen directly without the sieve. This water should not be consumed. It should be offered in the direction of the moon. 5-6mathris are also to be thrown in the same direction as an offering.
4. Women, then, see their husbands through the sieve and pray for their longevity and well-being.
5. The husband then offers some water and mathri to the wife and break her fast. The women then take blessings from elders. She then gives out the Baya that her mother has sent to elder family members.
6. Dinner can be consumed after the above steps have been followed. It is considered to be one of the most difficult fasts. The fast starts before sunrise and can be only broken after worshipping the moon at night. Generally, the sky stays cloudy on that day. Therefore it might take up to 8-9 PM before you can spot the moon. Nothing is to be eaten or drunk during the fast.
The festival tests the self-determination and patience of the wife. The wife sacrifices so much for the husband on this day. Husbands should make sure his wife feels loved. Visit https://www.mypoojabox.in/collections/karwa-chauth to find everything you’d need to celebrate your perfect Karva Chauth. They have thalis, puja boxes, gifts, and a lot more to make your Karwa Chauth special.
