Karva Chautha is celebrated on the chautha (fourth day) from purnima (full moon) in the month of Kartik. Married women of north and central India fast daylong for the longevity of their husbands and pray for their happy married life.
This is the sowing season of rabi (winter) crops. This festival might have started as a prayer for a good crop, as wheat is the common crop of northern India. Karva or Kark is clay pots where grains or water are stored. This festival is also called Kark Chaturthi,
Women prepare for this festival by buying shringar (adornment like ornaments, bangles, cosmetics, bindis), decorating small karva pots, grinding henna dye, preparing sweets, preparing gifts to exchange, preparing the clay lamp, and decorating the puja thali (plate to offer prayers), etc.
On the day of karva chautha, women will vrat (fast) from sunrise to moonrise. They would not eat or drink the whole day. Many rituals are followed. Fasting women do no household work this day. The day is spent meeting friends and families. There are women-only events that are held in the community. Women wear bridal clothes, heena, ornaments and look their best for this festivity. Red, Gold, and Orange are auspicious colours and very popular. They exchange karva filled with gifts like bangles, sweets etc. with each other. For newlyweds, this is a good time to mingle with other women folks in the family and make new friends in the community. Parents send gifts to their married daughters and their children.
In the evening, the fast is broken by viewing the moon or its reflection in the waters, through a sieve or dupatta (cloth from their garment). Water is offered to Somnath or Chadradevta (Moon God) to secure his blessings. If the husband is at home, he would offer the water from the prayer thali and offer it to his wife to break the fast. The woman then can have her complete meal.
It is said that the fasting woman on this day is spiritually charged by her fast, that she can even confront and defeat Yama (lord of death) himself.
There is a story of queen Veervati which is associated with Karva Chauth. She was a beautiful newlywed queen, who was visiting her mother. She had seven protective brothers. She was observing karva chautha fast and the moon was not yet out in the sky. Her brothers could not see the sister in such distress. They lit a large bonfire behind the mountains and put a mirror in the pipal tree. The queen mistook the reflection of fire to be the moon and broke her fast. As soon she took the first bite, she sneezed. In her second bite, she found a hair. While eating her third morsel she got the news of her husband’s death. Heartbroken, she cried and ran towards her husband’s house. On her way, Shiv-Parvati intercepted her. Goddess Parvati revealed the trickery to her and advised her to repeat the fast with complete devotion. She again performed her fasting with full devotion that compelled Yama to restore her husband’s life.
There is a story of Karwa, a devoted wife. One morning her husband was bathing in the stream when a crocodile attacked and killed him. She jumped in the water, fought, and bounded the crocodile in her cotton saree. She asked Yama to send the reptile to hell. Yama refused, and Karwa threatened to curse him. Afraid of being cursed by a chaste woman, Yama restored the life of her husband, sent the crocodile to hell, and blessed the couple for a long life.
Karva Chautha is celebrated with faith and belief to this day.