Karva Chauth

2021-08-15T06:42:21Z

2409:4071:2204:B514:143C:E161:5772:1A38:

{{short description|Festival celebrated by Hindu women}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox holiday
|image =File:KarvaChauthMoon1.jpg
|caption =Karwa Chauth
|observedby = Married Hindu Women, Sometimes unmarried Hindu women<ref name="ref01zohah"/>
|begins = Fourth day of the waning moon fortnight (Krishna paksha) in the month of [[Kartika (month)|Kartik]]
|date2020 = 4 November
|celebrations = Entire day
|observances = Fasting by married women
|relatedto = [[Vijayadashami|Dussehra]] and [[Diwali]]
|date=|firsttime=|frequency=|duration=|scheduling=|month=|weekday=|nickname=|ends=|significance=|litcolor=|official_name=|alt=|holiday_name=|type=|startedby=}}
{{Hinduism}}
'''Karwa Chauth''' is a festival celebrated by [[Hindu]] women from the [[Indian Subcontinent]] on the fourth day after Purnima (a [[full moon]]) in the month of [[Kartika (month)|Kartika]]. Like many Hindu festivals, Karwa Chauth is based on the [[lunisolar calendar]] which accounts for all astronomical positions, especially positions of the moon which is used as a marker to calculate important dates. The festival falls on the fourth day after the [[full moon]], in the [[Hindu calendar|Hindu lunisolar calendar]] month of [[Kartika (month)|Kartik]].<ref name="ref01zohah">{{Citation|author=Sohindar Singh Waṇajara Bedi|title=Folklore of the Punjab|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jV8tAAAAMAAJ|publisher=National Book Trust|quote=... Sometimes even unmarried girls observe this fast and pray for their wife-to-be ...|year=1971}}</ref>

On Karwa Chauth, married women, especially in [[North India]], observe [[Fasting|fast]] from sunrise to moonrise for the safety and longevity of their husbands.<ref name="ref25lojir">{{Citation | title=Let's Know Festivals of India | author=Kartar Singh Bhalla | publisher=Star Publications|year= 2005 | isbn=978-81-7650-165-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WORYY5Vl0ygC | quote=''... 'Karwa Chauth' is a ritual of fasting celebrated by married women seeking the longevity, ... married women in the northern and western parts of India, especially Delhi, Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajashtan, Punjab,Jammu and western Uttar Pradesh ... eat a little food before sunrise and start the fast ... After the moon rises ... finally break their fast ...'' }}{{page needed|date=October 2019}}</ref><ref name="ref32laqul">{{Citation | title= women in England: their religious and cultural beliefs and social practices | author=S. K. Rait | publisher=Trentham Books|year= 2005 | isbn=978-1-85856-353-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hRfkTq1ykSIC | quote=... Karwa chauth, a fast kept to secure the long life of husbands, was popular among women ... }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.daily.pk/hindus-mark-Karva-chauth-in-pakistan-6625/ | work=Pakistan Daily | title=Hindus mark Karwa Chauth in Pakistan | date=2008-10-17 | quote=... Hindu women Friday celebrated Karwa Chauth in the city. The minority arranges different functions in the city to mark the day where women collectively sighted the moon and broke their fast ... }}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The Karwa Chauth fast is traditionally celebrated in the states of [[Delhi]], [[Haryana]], [[Rajasthan]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Bihar]], [[Himachal Pradesh]] and [[Madhya Pradesh]].<ref name="ref25lojir" /><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/16/AR2007101601513.html | work=The Washington Post | title=A Hungry Heart | first=Anu | last=Kumar | date=2007-10-21}}</ref><ref name="ref58cebuc">{{Citation | title=Crafts of Himachal PradeshLiving traditions of India | author=Subhashini Aryan | publisher=Mapin | isbn=978-0-944142-46-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bkfrAAAAMAAJ | quote=... Karwa Chauth, when all married women universally fast a small pot, Karwa, is required ...| year=1993 }}</ref><ref name="ref64ruxax">{{Citation | title=Because it gives me peace of mind: ritual fasts in the religious lives of Hindu women (McGill studies in the history of religions) | author=Anne Mackenzie Pearson | publisher=SUNY Press | isbn=978-0-7914-3038-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=na-x4ahfXaQC | quote=... Karwa Cauth seems to be in western Uttar Pradesh ...| date=1996}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-10-09|title=बिहार की महिलाओं ने ऐसे मनाया करवा चौथ, मांगी पति की लंबी उम्र|url=https://www.bhaskar.com/BIH-PAT-HMU-bihar-women-celebrated-karva-chauth-5715870-PHO.html/|access-date=2021-08-15|website=Dainik Bhaskar|language=hi}}</ref>It is celebrated as [[Atla Tadde]] in [[Andhra Pradesh]].


==Etymology and origins==
''Karva'' is another word for '[[Pottery|pot]]' (a small earthen pot of water) and ''chauth'' means 'fourth' in [[]] (a reference to the fact that the festival falls on the fourth day of the dark-fortnight, or ''Krishna [[paksha|paksh]]'', of the month of ''Kartik'').<ref name="ref31vefox">{{Citation | title=Rural Sociology | author=Rajendra Kumar Sharma | publisher=Atlantic Publishers|year= 2004 | isbn=978-81-7156-671-6 | url=https://earth.google.com | quote="... small earthen-ware pots called 'deep' being filled with oil and lighted through a wick ..."| orig-year=1997 }}</ref> The festival originated and came to be celebrated only in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, including cities of [[Lahore]], [[Multan]]. Karwa Chauth is mostly celebrated in Northern India. One hypothesis is that military campaigns were often conducted by men in far off places whereby men would leave their wives and children at home to go off to the war. Their wives would often pray for their safe return. The festival also coincides with the wheat-sowing time (i.e., the beginning of the [[Rabi crop]] cycle). Big earthen pots in which wheat is stored are sometimes called ''Karwas'', so the fast may have begun as a prayer for a good harvest in this predominantly wheat-eating Northwestern region.<ref name="ref33fabuf">{{Citation |title = History of Ancient India: From 7300 BC to 4250 BC|author = J.P. Mittal|publisher = Atlantic Publishers & Distributors|isbn = 978-81-269-0615-4|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=b7gOBW8oDFgC|quote = ... military campaigns and foreign travels were undertaken after the rainy season ... It is also the season for sowing wheat, which is kept in the Karwa (Round Vessel) ...|year = 2006}}</ref>

Another story about the origin of this festival relates to the bond of feminine friendship. With the custom of [[arranged marriage]] being prevalent, the [[newlywed]] is supposed to reside with her husband and in-laws. Being new to the family, the custom arose of befriending another woman as her friend (''kangan-saheli'') or sister (''dharam-behn'') for life. The friendship would be sanctified through a Hindu ritual during the marriage ceremony itself. The bride's friend would usually be of the same age (or slightly older), typically married into the same village (so that she would not go away) and not directly related to her in-laws (so there was no conflict of interest later). This emotional and psychological bond would be considered akin to a blood relationship. It is said that Karva Chauth festival evolved to include celebrating this special bond of friendship.

A few days before Karva Chauth, married women would buy new ''Karwas'' (spherical clay pots)—7-9" in diameter and 2–3 litres capacity—and paint them on the outside with beautiful designs. Inside, they would put bangles and ribbons, home-made candy and sweets, make-up items, and small clothes. The women would then visit each other on the day of Karwa Chauth and exchange these ''Karwas''.

== Annual dates ==
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2018}}

''The following dates are based on the [[Hindu calendar]].''
[[File:Karwachauth.jpg|thumb|305x305px|Hindu married women while concluding her fast)]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year!!Date of Karwa Chauth
|-
|2008||''17 October''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Holidays and observances in India in 2008|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/india/2008|access-date=2020-11-02|website=www.timeanddate.com|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|2009||''7 October''<ref>{{Cite web|last=LLP|first=Adarsh Mobile Applications|title=2009 Karwa Chauth Vrat {{!}} Karwa Chauth Puja Date with Time for New Delhi, NCT, India|url=http://www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/karwa-chauth/karwa-chauth-date-time.html|access-date=2020-11-02|website=Drikpanchang|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|2010||''26 October''<ref>{{Cite web|last=LLP|first=Adarsh Mobile Applications|title=2010 Karwa Chauth Vrat {{!}} Karva Chauth Puja Date with Time for New Delhi, NCT, India|url=http://www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/karwa-chauth/karwa-chauth-date-time.html|access-date=2020-11-03|website=Drikpanchang|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|2011||''15 October''<ref>Celebrations Video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfgdwrWRQ-Y Karwa Chauth : 2011]</ref>
|-
|2012||''2 November''<ref>Celebrations Video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BqeGYb8MLU Karwa Chauth : 2012]</ref>
|-
|2013||''22 October''<ref>Celebrations Video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6bqCf-_4T4 Karwa Chauth : 2013]</ref>
|-
|2014||''11 October''<ref>Celebrations Video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6bqCf-_4T4 Karwa Chauth : 2014]</ref>
|-
|2015||''30 October''<ref>Celebrations Video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fVPOrTTWd0 Karwa Chauth : 2015]</ref>
|-
|2016||''19 October''<ref>Celebrations Video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng3OKtaR9JI Karwa Chauth : 2016]</ref><ref>[http://kalnirnay2016.in/2016-indian-festivals-holidays-calendar/1/ 2016 Indian Festivals Holidays Calendar] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151112130915/http://kalnirnay2016.in/2016-indian-festivals-holidays-calendar/1/ |date=2015-11-12 }}</ref>
|-
|2017||''8 October''<ref>Celebrations Video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDo4jmi1MvA Karwa Chauth : 2017]</ref>
|-
|2018||''27 October''<ref>Celebrations Video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M02bl37OrZI Karwa Chauth : 2018]</ref>
|-
|2019||''17 October''<ref>Celebrations Video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4UsZ3A3DG0 Karwa Chauth : 2019]</ref>
|-
|2020||''4 November''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2020-11-02|title=Karwa Chauth 2020 Puja India: Date, Fasting, Real Sixteen Adornments|url=https://news.jagatgururampalji.org/karwa-chauth-2020-puja-india/|access-date=2020-11-02|website=S A NEWS|language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|2021||''24 October''<ref name=":21">{{Cite web|date=2021-01-19|title=When is Karwa Chauth 2021? Date, significance and all you need to know|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/information/story/when-is-karwa-chauth-2021-date-significance-and-all-you-need-to-know-1760669-2021-01-19|access-date=2021-03-06|website=India Today|language=en-US}}</ref>
|}

==Rituals==
[[File:Karva Chauth puja.jpg|thumb|305x305px|The fasting women collectively sitting in a circle, while doing Karwa Chauth puja, singing song while performing the feris (passing their thalis around in the circle)]]
[[File:Karva2.jpg|thumb|305x305px|The fasting women after performing the Karwa Chauth puja, while offering water towards sun ([[Surya|arka]])]]
Women begin preparing for ''Karwa Chauth'' a few days in advance, by buying adornments (shringar), jewelry, and puja items, such as the ''Karwa'' lamps, ''matthi'', [[henna]] and the decorated puja ''thali'' (plate).<ref name="webdunia2009kdyr">{{Citation | title=ਕਰਵਾ ਚੌਥ – ਫਿਲਮੀ ਨਾਮਾਂ ਵਾਲੀਆਂ ਚੂੜੀਆਂ ਦਾ ਕ੍ਰੇਜ (Karwa Chauth – The craze for bangles named after movies) | date=6 October 2009 | newspaper=Webdunia Punjabi | url=http://punjabi.webdunia.com/newsworld/news/features/0910/06/1091006026_1.htm | quote=''... ਕਰਵਾ ਚੌਥ ਦੇ ਆਉਂਦੇ ਹੀ ਬਜ਼ਾਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੀ ਚਹਿਲ-ਪਹਿਲ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ। ਇਸੇ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਸਿਲਸਿਲਾ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ ਸਾਜ-ਸ਼ਿੰਗਾਰ ਦਾ ਸਮਾਨ ਖਰੀਦਣ ਦਾ। ਜਿਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਚੂੜੀਆਂ ਇਸਤਰੀਆਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਪਸੰਦੀਦਾ ਹੁੰਦੀਆਂ ਹਨ। ਆਪਣੇ ਸੂਟ ਜਾਂ ਸਾੜੀ ਨਾਲ ਮੈਚ ਕਰਦੀਆਂ ਚੂੜੀਆਂ ਲਈ ਬਜ਼ਾਰ 'ਚ ਪਤਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਕਿੰਨੇ ਗੇੜੇ ਮਾਰਦੀਆਂ ਹਨ। (The coming of Karwa Chauth gets the bazaars humming with activity. And so begins the process of buying cosmetics and ornaments. Of all things, bangles are the perennial favorites with women. They do endless circuits of the bazaar looking for the perfect color match with their saris and shalwar suits) ...'' | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312003944/http://punjabi.webdunia.com/newsworld/news/features/0910/06/1091006026_1.htm | archive-date=2010-03-12 }}</ref> Local [[bazaar]]s take on a festive look as shopkeepers put their ''Karwa Chauth'' related products on display.<ref name="webdunia2009kdyr"/> On the day of the fast, women from Punjab awake to eat and drink just before sunrise. In [[Uttar Pradesh]], celebrants eat ''soot feni'' with milk in sugar on the eve of the festival. It is said that this helps them go without water the next day. In Punjab, ''sargi'' (ਸਰਗੀ) is an important part of this pre-dawn meal and always includes ''[[Fenia (food)|fenia]]''. It is traditional for the ''sargi'' to be sent or given to the fasting woman by her mother-in-law. If she lives with her mother-in-law, the pre-dawn meal is prepared by the mother-in-law. On Karwa Chauth occasion, fasting women choose to wear Karwa chauth special dresses<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.popxo.com/2016/10/karva-chauth-outfit-ideas/|title=15 Stunning Outfits For Your *First* Karwa Chauth!|date=2018|access-date=2018-10-23|language=en-GB}}</ref> like a traditional [[Sari|saari]] or [[lehenga]] to look their best. In some regions, women wear traditional dresses of their states.

The fast begins at dawn. Fasting women do not eat during the day.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-02|title=Karwa Chauth 2020: Date, time, significance of fast observed by women for long life of their husbands - India News , Firstpost|url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/karwa-chauth-2020-date-time-significance-of-fast-observed-by-women-for-long-life-of-their-husbands-8975761.html|access-date=2020-11-02|website=Firstpost}}</ref> Hindu wives perform various kind of rituals along with Vrat (fast) on Karwa chauth for their husband's long life. Saint Garibdas Ji Maharaj says:<blockquote>Kahe jo karava chauth kahaanee| Taas gadaharee nishchay jaanee||

Kare ekaadashee sanjam soee| Karava chauth gadaharee hoee||<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2020-11-02|title=Karwa Chauth 2020 Puja India: Date, Fasting, Real Sixteen Adornments|url=https://news.jagatgururampalji.org/karwa-chauth-2020-puja-india/|access-date=2020-11-02|website=S A NEWS|language=en-US}}</ref></blockquote>In traditional observances of the fast, the fasting woman usually does no housework.<ref name="ref98mabub">{{Citation | title=Dance, Human Rights, and Social Justice: Dignity in Motion |author1=Naomi Jackson |author2=Toni Shapiro-Phim | publisher=Rowman & Littlefield | isbn=978-0-8108-6149-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nMwHUUreHCgC | quote=... several Indian feminists have talked about the ways in which Indian, specifically Hindu, women have found it empowering to hold onto religious practices ... the Karwachauth ... meant that she had a day off once a year and a new sari at the end of it ...|year=2008 }}</ref> Women apply [[Henna#Use of henna as body art|henna]] and other cosmetics to themselves and each other. The day passes in meeting friends and relatives. In some regions, it is customary to give and exchange painted clay pots filled with put bangles, ribbons, home-made candy, cosmetics and small cloth items (e.g., handkerchiefs). Since ''Karwa Chauth'' follows soon after the [[Kharif crop|''Kharif'' crop harvest]] in the rural areas, it is a good time for community festivities and gift exchanges. Parents often send gifts to their married daughters and their children.

In the evening, a community women-only ceremony is held. Participants dress in fine clothing and wear [[jewellery]] and henna, and (in some regions) dress in the complete finery of their wedding dresses.<ref name="ref38bequf">{{Citation | title=Indian and foreign review, Volume 23 | author=Publications Division | publisher=Publications Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=4FVDAAAAYAAJ | quote=... the typically North Indian festival of Karwa Chauth when wives fast for the longevity of their husbands. On this day a woman relives her wedding day. Dressed in her wedding clothes, with hands and feet ritually decorated with Mehndi ...| year=1985 }}</ref> The dresses (''[[sari]]s'' or ''[[shalwar]]s'') are frequently red, gold or orange, which are considered auspicious colors.<ref name="ref94pomex">{{Citation | title=Hindu children in Britain |author1=Robert Jackson |author2=Eleanor M. Nesbitt | publisher=Trentham | isbn=978-0-948080-73-9 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=i87kAAAAMAAJ | quote=... this day, which falls about eleven days before the all-India festival of Divali, wives dress up in bridal colours (red and gold) ...|year=1993 }}</ref> In Uttar Pradesh, women wear ''saris'' or ''lehangas''. The fasters sit in a circle with their puja thalis. Depending on region and community, a version of the story of ''Karwa Chauth'' is narrated, with regular pauses. The storyteller is usually an older woman or a priest, if one is present.<ref name="ref15zezuv">{{Citation | title=Hindu Vrat Kathayen | author=A.H.W. Sameer | publisher=Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd.|year= 2003 | isbn=978-81-288-0375-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ksKbk6gCebYC | quote=... The women tell among themselves the story of Karwa Chauth on this day. Sometimes a Brahmin priest tells this story and gets a gift in return ... The married women receive costly gifts from their husbands, brothers and parents on this ...}}</ref> In the pauses, the ''Karwa Chauth'' puja song is sung collectively the singers perform the ''feris'' (passing their thalis around in the circle).

The first six describe some of the activities of fast and the seventh describes the lifting of those restrictions with the conclusion of the fast. The forbidden activities include weaving cloth (''kumbh chrakhra feri naa''), pleading with or attempting to please anyone (''ruthda maniyen naa''), and awakening anyone who is asleep (''suthra jagayeen naa''). For the first six ''feris'' they sing

{{cquote|''...Veero kudiye Karvara, Sarv suhagan Karvara, Aye katti naya teri naa, Kumbh chrakhra feri naa, Aar pair payeen naa, Ruthda maniyen naa, Suthra jagayeen naa, Ve veero kuriye Karvara, Ve sarv suhagan Karvara...''}}

For the seventh ''feri'', they sing

{{cquote|''...Veero kudiye Karvara, Sarv suhagan Karvara, Aye katti naya teri nee, Kumbh chrakhra feri bhee, Aar pair payeen bhee, Ruthda maniyen bhee, Suthra jagayeen bhee, Ve veero kuriye Karvara, Ve sarv suhagan Karvara...''}}

In Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, participants exchange ''Karwas'' seven times between themselves. In Rajasthan, before offering water seven times the fasting woman is asked "''Dhapi ki Ni Dhapi?''" (are you satiated?), to which she responds, "''Jal se Dhapi, Suhaag se na Dhapi''" (I am satiated by water, but not from [love of] my husband). An alternative ritual conducted by Uttar Pradeshis is prayer of "gaur mata" the earth. Specifically, celebrants will take a bit of soil, sprinkle water, and then place kumkum on it, treating it as an idol/manifestation of the fertile Mother Earth.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Karwa Chauth|url=http://indianculture.gov.in/stories/karva-chauth|access-date=2020-11-02|website=INDIAN CULTURE|language=en}}</ref> In Rajasthan, stories are told by older women in the family, including narratives of Karwa Chauth, [[Shiva|Shiv]], [[Parvati]] and [[Ganesh]]. In earlier times, an idol of [[Cattle in religion and mythology|Gaur Mata]] was made using earth and cow dung, which has now been replaced with an idol of Parvati. In some communities, especially in and around Bangalore, a visual depiction of HG is used. Each fasting woman lights an earthen lamp in her ''thali'' while listening to the Karwa story. Sindoor, incense sticks and rice are also kept in the ''thali''.

In Uttar Pradesh, a priest or an elderly woman of the family narrates the story of ''beejabeti'' or [[Karwa Chauth#The Story of Queen Veervati|Veervati]]. Celebrants make ''Gauri'', ''Ganesh'' and ''Shankar'' idols with mud and decorate them with colourful and bright clothes and jewellery. While exchanging ''Karwas'' seven times, they sing<ref name=":0" />

{{cquote|''...Sadaa suhagan karve lo, Pati ki pyari karve lo, Saat bhaiyon ke behen karve lo, Vart karni karve lo, Saas ki pyaari karve lo...''}}

Thereafter, the fasters offer ''baayna'' (a melange of goodies like [[Halva|halwa]], [[Poori|puri]], namkeen [[mathri]], ''meethi mathri'', etc.) to the idols (''mansana'') and hand over to their mother-in-law or sister-in-law.

The ''fera'' ceremony concluded, the women await the rising of the moon. Once the moon is visible, depending on the region and community, it is customary for a fasting woman, to view moon or its reflection in a vessel filled with water, through a [[sieve]], or through the cloth of a [[dupatta]]. Water is offered ([[Surya#Arka form|arka]]) to the moon (''[[Soma (deity)|som]]'' or ''[[chandra]]'', the lunar deity) to secure its blessings. In some regions, the woman says a brief prayer asking for her husband's life. It is believed that at this stage, spiritually strengthened by her fast, the woman can successfully confront and defeat death (personified by [[Yama]]). In Rajasthan, the women say "Like the gold necklace and the pearl bracelet, just like the moon may my suhaag always shine brightly."

Her husband then takes the water from the ''thali'' and offers it to his wife; taking her first sip of water during the day, the fast is now broken and the woman can have a complete meal.<ref name="ref98mabub"/><ref name="ref15zezuv"/><ref name="ref72zuyax">{{Citation | title=The nation, the state, and Indian identity | author=Madhusree Dutta, Neera Adarkar, Majlis Organization (Bombay) | publisher=Popular Prakashan | isbn=978-81-85604-09-1 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=clVkXbbcrhIC | quote=''... originally was practised by women in Punjab and parts of UP, is gaining tremendous popularity ... We found women of all classes and regional communities ... all said they too were observing the Karwa Chauth Vrat for their husbands' longevity. All of them had dekha-dekhi (in imitation) followed a trend which made them feel special on this one day. Husbands paid them undivided attention and showered them with gifts. The women from the bastis go to beauty parlours to have their hair set and hands decorated with mehendi ... As an instrument of social control, rituals work insidiously. Deeply ingrained in the consciousness of Hindu women, reinforced by modern forms, we do not know which is the greater barrier to women's liberation: religion or the market ...''| year=1996 }}</ref>

==Popular cultural aspects and critiques==
[[File:Karva3.jpg|thumb|305x305px|The fasting women collectively sitting in a circle, while doing Karwa Chauth puja.]]
In modern North India and [[Northwestern India]] society, ''Karwa Chauth'' is considered to be a romantic festival, symbolizing the love between a husband and wife.<ref name="ref53jovax">{{Citation | title=Winning in the Indian Market: Understanding the Transformation of Consumer India | author=Rama Bijapurkar | publisher=John Wiley and Sons | isbn=978-0-470-82199-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1B4fhk9Wsj4C | quote="... Karwa Chauth is a romantic old north Indian ritual, where the wife fasts all day for the well‐being of her husband, then when the moon rises, she looks at the moon and her husband's face and he feeds her the first morsel of food that ..."| year=2008 }}</ref> It has been celebrated in [[Bollywood]] movies such as ''[[Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge]]'', where an unmarried woman signals her love for a man by keeping the fast for him and he reciprocates by secretly fasting as a gesture of empathy, as well as demonstrating his concern for her during the day and breaking her fast by feeding her at moonrise, and ''[[Baghban (2003 film)|Baghban]]'', in which a man persuades his elderly fasting wife to break her fast over the telephone because they have been separated by their uncaring children.<ref name="ref65zogoy">{{Citation | title=Tradition, pluralism and identity |author1=Veena Das |author2=Dipankar Gupta |author3=Patricia Uberoi | publisher=Sage Publications| isbn=978-0-7619-9381-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_6nZAAAAMAAJ | quote=... breaking the Karwa Chauth fast with Raj. and she realises that this must be the boy that Simran had fallen in love with ...|date=1999 }}</ref><ref name="ref19zuvur">{{Citation | title=India today, Volume 30 | publisher=Thomson Living Media India Ltd. | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rGhDAAAAYAAJ | quote=... rattling of empty steel thalis to ensure the famished wife at the other end eats her Karwa chauth meal as in Baghban ...| year=2005 }}</ref><ref name="ref78qemig">{{Citation | title=India today international | publisher=Living Media International Ltd. | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0bgaAQAAIAAJ | quote=... courtship, misunderstanding, reconciliation, wedding, Karwa chauth, pregnancy ...| date= 2006 }}</ref> News coverage of celebrities sometimes highlights the keeping of the fast by an unmarried public figure because it indicates a strong and likely permanent romantic attachment.<ref name="bbc2008octj">{{Citation | title=کروا چوتھ (Bollywood Diary: Karwa Chauth) | date=27 October 2008 | author=Rehana Bastiwala | newspaper=BBC | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/entertainment/story/2008/10/081027_bollywood_dairy_sen.shtml | quote=... امیشا نے بھی اپنے قریبی دوست کانو پوری کے لیے برت رکھا۔ دلچسپ بات تو یہ ہے کہ امیشا کا یہ برت کانو نے پانی پلا کر نہیں بلکہ شیمپئین پلا کر کھلوایا۔ انہوں نے امیشا کو ہیرے جڑی ایک گھڑی بھی تحفے میں دی (Amisha Patel also kept a fast for her close friend, Kanav Puri. In an interesting twist, Kanav helped Amisha break her fast not with water, but with a sip of champagne. He also gifted Amisha a diamond-studded watch) ...}}</ref> Similar to [[Valentine's Day]], the lack of a romantic partner can acutely be felt by unattached women.<ref name="ref52zilih">{{Citation | title=Almost Single | author=Advaita Kala| publisher=Random House | isbn=978-0-553-38610-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KQH17whDlWsC | quote=''... New Year's Eve is the most pathetic time to be single, apart from Karwa Chauth and Valentine's Day ...''| date=2009}}</ref> The festival is used extensively in advertising campaigns in the region, for instance in a [[Chevrolet]] [[TV spot]] in which a man demonstrates his caring for his wife by buying a car with a sunroof so he can drive her around on ''Karwa Chauth'' night until she spots the moon through it.<ref name="ref50vaday">{{Citation | title=Marketing Management | author=Rajan Saxena | publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill | isbn=978-0-07-059953-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c9869T3ZxDsC | quote=''... Taking the situation of a wife waiting for the moon to appear on Karwa Chauth night ... until she is able to sight the moon from the car's sunroof ... The marketer was able to successfully communicate a feature of the car by using "love and care" as emotions ...''| date= 2005 }}</ref>

Thanks to the [[Bollywood]], Karwa Chauth isn't limited to be a North Indian or [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] festival anymore. It is now glamorized and widely popular function in India. Some married women and a brides-to-be in other regions also want to look their best on this day when they fast for the well-being of their husbands. The evening is the time when the drudgery of fast starts wearing off and the enthusiasm and expectation of golden moments show on their faces.<ref>[https://www.bharatsthali.com/blog/karwachauth-special-sarees-look-your-best/ Karwa chauth Traditional Look] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626075414/https://www.bharatsthali.com/blog/karwachauth-special-sarees-look-your-best/ |date=26 June 2018 }}</ref>

Since ''Karwa Chauth'' is celebrated primarily by women (men are entirely excluded from the festival's observances until moonrise, though they are expected to demonstrate attention and concern for their fasting wives) and because beauty rituals and dressing-up are a significant part of the day, the festival is seen as an event that bonds women together.<ref name="webdunia2009gqw">{{Citation | title=करवा चौथ का श्रृंगार (Beauty treatments for Karwa Chauth) | date=7 October 2009 | author=Naynika Mehra | newspaper=Webdunia Hindi | url=http://hindi.webdunia.com/miscellaneous/woman/articles/0910/07/1091007022_1.htm | quote=''... सुंदर और आकर्षक कपड़ों-गहनों के साथ ही श्रृंगार का भी उत्सवों पर एक अलग ही आनंद आ जाता है। उस पर भी यदि बात करवा चौथ जैसे त्योहार की हो तो बनने-सँवरने का उत्साह चरम पर पहुँच जाता है। हर महिला इस दिन कुछ अलग दिखना चाहती है। आइए हम देते हैं कुछ टिप्स इस करवा चौथ पर ताकि आप दिखें सबसे खास। (Beautiful and attractive jewelry and clothes, along with make-up, are so enjoyable on festivals. On top of that if it's a festival like Karwa Chauth, the zest to beautify oneself reaches its zenith. Any woman wants to look striking on this day. Come, let us share some tips, so you can look the most special of them all ...''}}</ref> In the present day, groups of unmarried women sometimes keep the fast out of a sense of friendship, though this practice is far from universal.<ref name="ibnlive2009hdb">{{Citation | title=कुंआरी लड़कियां भी रख रही हैं करवाचौथ व्रत (Unmarried women are also keeping the Karwa Chauth fast) | date=6 October 2009 | newspaper=IBN Live | url=http://khabar.ibnlive.in.com/news/20955/11 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713023148/http://khabar.ibnlive.in.com/news/20955/11 | url-status=dead | archive-date=13 July 2011 | quote=''... 'मुझे करवाचौथ का व्रत रखना बहुत पसंद है। मेरी सहेलियां भी व्रत रखती हैं इसलिए मैं भी व्रत रखती हूं ताकि मुझे ऐसा वर मिले जो मेरे साथ कदम से कदम मिलाकर चले।' ... धीरे-धीरे ये चलन बड़े शहरों में भी देखने को मिल रहा है। आखिर कौन नहीं चाहेगा कि उसे बेहद प्यार करने वाला जीवनसाथी मिले। ('I really like keeping the Karwa Chauth fast. My friends fast, so I do as well, so I get a partner who walks side by side with me through life' ... gradually this practice is becoming prevalent in larger cities. After all, who wouldn't want a life-partner who loves them intensely ...''}}</ref> This is especially true in the urban areas of North India and Northwestern India is interpreted as a prayer for a loving husband in the future.<ref name="ibnlive2009hdb"/> Another trend in the northern urban areas is the spreading of the festival's observance to few women originating in communities and regions (such as immigrants in [[Mumbai]], [[Garhwal division|Garhwal]] ) that have not traditionally celebrated ''Karwa Chauth'' or even been aware of the festival's existence.<ref name="ref72zuyax"/> The same is true for [[Gujarat]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Karva-Chauth-comes-to-Gujarat/articleshow/3605993.cms | newspaper=The Times of India | title=Karva Chauth comes to Gujarat | first=Ankur | last=Jain | date=17 October 2008 | access-date=22 February 2020}}</ref> <small>''Karwa Chauth 2018 Date 27 October''</small>

There have been calls to modify or eliminate the festival by commentators who hold it to be "anti-women" and to "perpetuate the notion of women's dependence on men."<ref name="ref83lorix">{{Citation | title=Kurukshetra, Volume 38 | author=Community Projects Administration | publisher=Ministry of Community Development and Cooperation, Government of India | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZODSAAAAMAAJ | quote=''... weed out anti-women and sexist contents from all those media ... We should modify old festivals like Karwa Chauth, Raksha Bandhan, which perpetuate the notion of women's dependence on men ...''| year=1989 }}</ref> ''Karwa chauth'' has been cited as a symbol of cultural repression of women by some Indian [[feminism|feminists]], such as [[Madhu Kishwar]] who has put it in the same class as "Khomeinivad" (i.e., pushing women into position of subservience to their husbands, similar to the family structure allegedly favored by [[Ruhollah Khomeini|Ayatollah Khomeini]]).<ref name="ref65jocey">{{Citation | title=Off the beaten track: rethinking gender justice for Indian women | author=Madhu Kishwar | publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=978-0-19-564816-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OC0qAAAAYAAJ | quote=... The home-bred elite can easily bring with it repressive Karwa chauth culture and khomeinivad for women ...| year=1999 }}</ref> Other feminists, however, have called the festival empowering for women because ''Karwa Chauth'' enables them to quit housework completely for the day and expect gifts from their husbands.<ref name="ref98mabub"/> Some writers have asserted that such "rituals work insidiously" to create "an instrument of social control" that oppresses women and that the even greater popularity of ''Karwa Chauth'' among urban, educated participants raises the question of "which is the greater barrier to women's liberation: religion or the market."<ref name="ref72zuyax"/>

== Traditional tales ==
There are legends associated with the ''Karwa Chauth'' festival. In some tellings, the tales are interlinked, with one acting as a [[frame story]] for another.

===Story of Queen Veervati===
A beautiful queen called Veervati was the only sister of seven loving brothers. She spent her first ''Karwa Chauth'' as a married woman at her parents' house. She began a strict fast after sunrise but, by evening, was desperately waiting for the moonrise as she suffered severe thirst and hunger. Her seven brothers couldn't bear to see their sister in such distress and created a mirror in a ''[[Sacred fig|pipal tree]]'' that made it look as though the moon had risen. The sister mistook it for the moon and broke her fast. The moment she took the first morsel of food, she sneezed. In her second morsel she found hair. After the third she learned the news of her husband, the king, was dead. Heartbroken, she wept through the night until her ''shakti'' compelled a Goddess to appear and ask why she crying. When the queen explained her distress, the Goddess revealed how she had been tricked by her brothers and instructed her to repeat the ''Karwa Chauth'' fast with complete devotion. When Veervati repeated the fast, [[Yama]] was forced to restore her husband to life.<ref name="ref94behoc">{{Citation | title=Fairs and Festivals of India |author1=S.P. Sharma |author2=Seema Gupta | publisher=Pustak Mahal | isbn=978-81-223-0951-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=54MSg3a63WgC | quote=''... The only sister of seven loving brothers, she was married to a king. On the occasion of the first Karwa Chauth after her marriage, she went to her parents' house. After sunrise, she observed a strict fast. However, Veeravati couldn't ...''|year=2006 }}</ref><ref name="ref85peqic">{{Citation | title=Dealing With Deities: The Ritual Vow in South Asia |author1=Selva J. Raj |author2=William P. Harman | publisher=SUNY Press | isbn=978-0-7914-6708-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ov2oltTLinkC | quote=... Krishna recounting to Draupadi a story that he had heard Shiva tell Parvati. The core of the tale involves a human woman, Virvati ...|date= 2006 }}</ref>

In a variant of this story, the brothers build a massive fire behind a mountain instead and trick their sister by convincing her that the glow is the moon. She breaks her fast and word arrives that her beloved husband has died. She immediately begins running to her husband's house, which is somewhat distant, and is intercepted by [[Shiva]]-[[Parvati]]. Parvati reveals the trickery to her, cuts her own little finger to give the wife a few drops of her holy blood, and instructs her to be careful in keeping the complete fast in the future. The wife sprinkles Parvati's blood on her dead husband and, coming back to life, they are reunited.<ref name="ref15zezuv"/>

===Legend of Mahabharata===
The belief in this fast and its associated rituals goes back to the pre-Mahabharata times. [[Draupadi]], too, is said to have observed this fast. Once [[Arjuna|Arjun]] went to the [[Nilgiris]] for penance and the rest of the [[Pandavas]] faced many problems in his absence. Draupadi, out of desperation, remembered [[Lord Krishna]] and asked for help. Lord Krishna reminded her that on an earlier occasion, when Goddess [[Parvati]] had sought Lord [[Shiva|Shiva's]] guidance under similar circumstances, she had been advised to observe the fast of Karwa Chauth. In some tellings of this legend, Shiva tells Parvati the story of Veervati to describe the ''Karwa Chauth'' fast. Draupadi followed the instructions and observed the fast with all its rituals. Consequently, the Pandavas were able to overcome their problems.<ref name="ref85peqic"/>

===The legend of Karwa===
A woman named Karwa was deeply devoted to her husband. Her intense love and dedication towards him gave her ''shakti'' (spiritual power). While bathing at a river, her husband was caught by a crocodile. Karwa bound the crocodile with cotton yarn and asked [[Yama]] (the god of death) to send the crocodile to hell. Yama refused. Karwa threatened to curse Yama and destroy him. Yama, afraid of being cursed by ''Pati-vrat'' (devoted) wife, sent the crocodile to hell and blessed Karwa's husband with long life. Karwa and her husband enjoyed many years of wedded bliss. To this day, Karwa Chauth is celebrated with great faith and belief.<ref name="ref98vopal">{{Citation | title=Veiled gurus: a Hindu mother's experiential involvement in religious knowledge transmission | author=Colleen Yim | publisher=University Press of America | isbn=978-0-7618-3775-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xteudBGBIuoC | quote=... Yamraj told Karwa that the crocodile still had to live few more years ... Karwa told him ... she would destroy him by putting a curse on him. Yamraj got scared ...| year=2008 }}</ref>

===Satyavan and Savitri===
When Lord Yama came to procure [[Satyavan]]'s soul, Savitri begged him to grant him life. When he refused, she stopped eating and drinking and followed Yama who carried away her dead husband. Yama said that she could ask for any other boon except for the life of her husband. Savitri asked that she be blessed with children. Yama agreed. Being a "'[[Pativrata|Pati-Vrata]]'" (devoted) wife, Savitri would never let any other man be the father of her children. Yama was left with no other choice but to restore Savitri's husband to life.<ref name="ref94behoc"/> This story refers to Savitri Amavasya and not Karwa Chauth. Which is widely observed by married women in the state of Odisha.

==See also==
* [[Vivaah]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Hindu festivals]]
[[Category:October observances]]
[[Category:Vrata]]
[[Category:Marriage in India]]
[[Category:November observances]]
[[Category:Hindu festivals in India]]
[[Category:Religious festivals in India]]
[[Category:Women's festivals]]

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