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About Karwachauth
Flourishing with the infinite love and
devotion, Karwa Chauth is the fasting day of wife for praying
longevity, good luck for the husband. Celebrated 9 days before the
Deepavali festival, it is usually comes in the month of October-
November on the Kartik ki Chouth, which is the 4th day of the dark
moon as per the Hindu calendar. Karva denotes to the clay pot and
chauth signifies to the fourth day of the dark moon, due to its
falling on the fourth day of the dark moon. This is indeed very
tough fast as it has to be kept for whole day without food &
water and married women who wholeheartedly keep vrat on this day are
blessed with saubhagya. The sacredness of the vrat has been observed
from the ancient times when the Lord Krishna told Draupadi for
keeping fast on the day, which in turns empowered Arjuna to defeat
the Kauravas on Kurukshetra battlefield. The unparalleled love of
the Satyavan and Savitri is also cited as an example of wife's love
and devotion who at last compelled Yamraj to avert his husband's
death. When Lord Yama came to take Satyavan's soul, her wife Savitri
pleaded him to grant new life to her husband. When he refused to do
so, she stopped eating and drinking anything, which in turns relent
the Yamraj and he gave new life to Satyavan.
On the day of Karwa Chauth, women keep a kalash or small container
filled with either milk or water and also put pancha ratna. These
are the 5 pieces made up of gold, silver, brass, copper and iron.
Afterwards the same kalash is given to the brahamin. Prayer is also
offered to the Lord Ganesha whilst presenting the kalash. In evening
after taking bath married women place idols of lord Shiva with his
consort Parvati and sons Ganesha and Kartikeya under the banyan
tree. In the absence of such tree, they draw picture of it.
Shodashopachar or sixteen step pooja is done with the enchanting of
'Om Namah Shivaya'. Thereafter 'arghya' is given to moon. After
offering to moon, wife worship her husband with the panchopchar or
gandh, flowers, incense sticks, diya. Those women whose husbands are
distance away, they pray to God for his long life and then bring an
end to the fast.
Karwa Chauth is always looked upon for pampering dear ones with
loads of gifts and presents. It is the day when women are loaded
with expensive gifts from their husbands and in-laws. As the
festival connotes with the marriage therefore, all the symbols of
married women like jewelery, apparels, bangles, henna, are found to
be on great demand. Now a days many husbands love to take their
wives out for the dinner after the completion of fast. Deck with all
their love and affection, husbands like to keep their wife out of
the drudges of the household, at least for one day. One of the most
important gift item of the karvachauth is sargi, which is given by
mother-in-law to their daughter-in-law and without which the
festival cannot be said to be completed. It comprises of the
delicious food items like sweets, dry fruits, which needs to be
eaten before the sun rise. In the evening of karvachauth, mothers of
newly wed girls present baya to the family of their son-in-law. It
comprises of sweets, dry fruits and gifts. It should reach to the
girl's place before the starting of evening pooja.
In today's fast, commercialization world, Karwa Chauth has still
holded its immense importance and popularity in modern society.
However the Karvachauth fast is not the celebration of one day when
women pray to God for blessing her consort with long life and
prosperity but is now symbolizes towards the unflagging devotion of
her towards their better half. All those women who give wishful
offerings while observing the vrat, are blessed with progeny and
happy married life. Such pious rituals showcase the beautiful myriad
of eternal love and devotion of women which she has holded beneath
under the heart for her husband. These are those precious and
special moments of life which not only bless the lives of husband
and wife with love but also unite them in the unbreakable bonding of
feelings and emotions. 

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