Karva Chauth 4 Purnima by Kartika

Like many Hindu festivals, Karva Chauth is based on the lunisolar calendar which takes into account all astronomical positions, especially the positions of the moon which serves as a marker to calculate important dates. The festival falls on the fourth day after the full moon, in the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Kartik.

Karva is another word for 'pot' (a small earthen water pot) and chauth means 'fourth'. In Sanskrit scriptures, the festival is called Kark Chaturthi, Kark meaning an earthen water pitcher and Chaturthi denotes the fourth day of the Hindu lunar month.

Karva Chauth is mainly celebrated in northern India. One hypothesis is that military campaigns were often carried out by men in remote locations where men would leave their wives and children at home to go to war. Their wives would often pray for their safe return.

The festival also coincides with the time of wheat sowing (i.e. the beginning of the Rabi harvest cycle). The large earthen pots in which the wheat is stored are sometimes called Karvas, so the fast may have begun as a prayer for a good harvest in this wheat-dominated northwestern region.

Another story about the origin of this festival concerns the bond of female friendship. Since the custom of arranged marriage was widespread, the bride was expected to reside with her husband and in-laws. Being new in the family, the custom arose to befriend another woman as a friend (kangan-saheli) or sister (dharam-behn) for life. The friendship would be sanctified by a Hindu ritual during the marriage ceremony itself.

The bride's friend was usually of the same age (or slightly older), usually married in the same village (so that she would not leave) and was not directly related to her in-laws (so there was no conflict of interest later). This emotional and psychological bond would be likened to a blood relationship. The Karva Chauth festival is said to have evolved to include the celebration of this special bond of friendship.

Women start preparing for Karva Chauth a few days in advance, buying ornaments (shringar), jewellery and puja items, such as Karva lamps, matthi, Mehandi and decorated puja thali (plate). Local bazaars take on a festive air as traders display their Karva Chauth-related wares. On the day of fasting, women in Punjab wake up to eat and drink just before sunrise. In Uttar Pradesh, celebrants eat soot feni with milk in sugar the day before the festival.

It is said that this helps them to do without water the next day. In Punjab, sargi is an important part of this pre-dawn meal and always includes fenia. It is a tradition that the sargi is 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 the occasion of Karva Chauth, fasting women choose to wear special Karva Chauth dresses like a traditional saari or lehenga to look their best. In some regions, women wear traditional dresses of their states.