Karwa Chauth is a festival that comes 9 days before Diwali and all married women keep fast for the long-life of their husbands. According to the Hindu calendar, Karwa Chauth falls on the fourth day of the Kartik month(fourth day of the waning moon or the dark fortnight).

Karwa Chauth is considered as one of the most significant fast observed by married Hindu women. This festival is followed mainly in the northern parts of the country and on this auspicious day all married women pray for the welfare and long life of their husbands.

Significance of 'Sargi' and Other Essentials
All women wake up early in the morning and eat food which is also knon as 'sargi' before sunrise. They are not supposed to eat or even drink water during the day. In the evening, they get ready in beautiful clothes and listen to the Karwa Chauth katha and break the fast after the moonrise.

Married women start preparation of Karwa Chauth pooja a day in advance. Married women buy the shringar or the traditional adornments and the other pooja items like the karwa, matthi, heena etc. Early in the morning, before sunrise, they prepare food and have it. The morning passes by in other festive activities like decorating hand and feet with heena, decorating the pooja thali and meeting friends and relatives.

In the evening, women gather at a common pooja place like temple or someone's house who has arranged the puja. An elderly lady or the pujarin narrates the legend of Karwa Chauth and all the ladies together listen to the katha. The essentials of this gathering and listening of the Karwa chauth story includes a special mud pot, that is considered a symbol of lord Ganesha, a metal urn filled with water, flowers, idols of Ambika Gaur Mata, Goddess Parwati and some fruits, mathi and food grains. A part of this is offered to the deities and the storyteller.

Karwa Chauth Rituals
Earlier an idol of Gaur Mata was made using cowdung and earth. Now just an idol of Goddess Parwati is kept. Every lady light a diya in their pooja thali while listening to the Karwa Chauth story. The thali also consist sindoor, incense sticks and rice are also kept in the thali.

On this occasion, women wear heavy embroidered saari or dupatta in red, pink or other bridal colors and adorn themselves with all other symbols of a married women like, nose pin, tika, bindi, chonp, bangles, earrings etc. They dress up themselves like a bride. Once the moon rises, the women see its reflection in a thali of water or a sieve. Then they offer water to the moon and pray for the safety, prosperity and long life of their husbands. This marks the end of the day long fast.