Barinder Saluja, Chandigarh,Oct. 25 : The auspicious Occasions of Karva Chauth festival is celebrated by married women of North India with complete dedication and so much fanfare in the form of fasting from sunrise to moon rise without eating a bit or drinking a drop. On the eve of the very own festival of Indian eve’s, Karva Chauth, one can see women getting themselves dressed up in Mehndi(Heena) in the local markets. In the India Mythology, Karva Chauth is the tradition in which all the wedded women i.e. “Suhagan” as termed in Hindi, fast for a day so that God may let their better halves live a longer life. One can witness each and every market thronged by the women to get their hands & feet tattood by the Mehndi, a herb which leaves a color on the skin, a tradition in which a married women gets themselves decorated by the mehndi artists who make a good fortune out of it.
“Karwa Chauth festival will be celebrated on October 26, 2010.” The term ‘Karwa’ means an earthen clay pot and ‘Chauth’ means fourth day. Karwa Chauth is celebrated on the fourth day after full moon in the month of Kartik that usually comes in the month of October-November. Karwa Chauth is usually celebrated 9 days before the popular festival of Diwali.
Hindu married women observe the festival of Karwa Chauth in India and the festivities are primarily restricted to the Northern and Western part of India in states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. The Karwa Chauth festivities are aimed towards strengthening the bond between a husband and a wife.
Marriages in India are a sacred union of not just two individuals but also two families. Many such successful unions are testament to the fact that marriages are considered with utmost seriousness in India and are lifelong alliances. Karwa Chauth preparations include married hindu women putting on their best clothes, applying mehendi (henna) on their hands and wearing beautiful jewellery.
Fasts are kept by married hindu women and they pray for the long life of their husbands. Lot of tradition is associated with the festival of Karwa Chauth. Breaking the day long fasting after moon-sighting is one such long tradition which has been passed over from one generation to the other. The fasting ritual during Karwa Chauth signifies the unending love, respect and devotion of a wife towards her husband.