Amongst the various significant festivals celebrated across India, Karwa Chauth marks as one of the most important festivals for married Hindu women. The festival falls during the Krishna Paksha Chaturthi in the month of Kartik as per the Hindu calendar. Married women observe a nirjala fast for the safety and longevity of their husbands.
Karwa Chauth is generally observed in the Northern regions of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.
Date and Puja Timings
This year, Karwa Chauth will be celebrated on October 27, Saturday.
Moonrise on Karwa Chauth: 8:02 PM
Karwa Chauth 2018: Date, Puja Timing, Rituals, Sargi Feast, Significance
Karwa Chauth Feast
The Sargi which is savoured before sunrise on the day of Karwa Chauth, mostly comprises of mathri, mithai, kaju-kishmish or dry fruits and other foods.
After breaking the fast, women enjoy a scrumptious feast along with their families. The meal consists of delicious dishes such as rice kheer, chhole- puri, chaat, dahi bhalla, pulao and other delicacies.
Karwa Chauth Rituals
Married women, wake up early in the morning (at sunrise) to eat sargi. After eating sargi, women stay without water and food all day until they spot the moon. Before the moon sighting, a community ceremony is held for married women. Women adorn beautiful red sarees or lehengas and sit in a circle with their puja thalis. Stories of karwa chauth are narrated and various songs are sung.
On this day, women pray to Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati and Lord Kartik. Thereafter, women pray to the clay idols of Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati and Lord Kartik to seek blessings for their husbands and family.
All of them exchange karwas or clay pots seven times to complete the pheras. This is followed by offering foods like halwa, puri, mathri, meethi mathri or kheer to the deity. This puja can be done separately or in a group.
In the evening, women perform a puja, offer foods to the deities and pray for the safety and longevity of their husband. Once the moon is spotted, women look at the moon and their husbands through a sieve (chhanni) after which water is offered to the moon to seek its blessings as part of the Karwa Chauth rituals. Husbands then offer some water to their wives to break their fast.
