Karva Chauth fast is a special festival for Hindu women. This festival is celebrated on the Chaturthi of Krishna Paksha of Kartik month. On this day, women keep Nirjala fast for the whole day and break their fast only after seeing Chandra Darshan or moon at night. Lucky women observe this fast to wish for the longevity, health and good fortune of their husbands. In Hindu beliefs, Mahavar i.e. Alata is said to be one of the sixteen adornments. Women especially apply it on their feet on the day of Karva Chauth.

Karva Chauth is especially a festival of women. In Hindu religion, women power is considered a form of power. It is said that a woman has a boon that for whatever work or desire she does penance or fast, she will definitely get the result. If she fasts anything especially for her husband, it will be successful. This fast is especially observed in North India like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar. On this day, Karva Mata is especially worshiped along with Lord Ganesha and Shiva-Parvati. This fast is especially for married women. Although many stories of Karva Chauth are popular, it is believed that this tradition has been going on since the time of the gods. It is said that during the war between gods and demons, Lord Brahma had suggested the wives of the gods to keep a fast to make them victorious. Accepting this, Indrani observed fast for Indra and the wives of other gods observed fast for their husbands. The result was that all the gods were victorious in the war and only after this all the gods’ wives broke their fast. That day was the Chaturthi of Krishna Paksha of Kartik month and the moon had come out in the sky. It is believed that the fast of Karva Chauth started from then onwards. It is also said that Goddess Parvati also observed this fast to attain Lord Shiva. There is mention of this fast even in the Mahabharata period and it is known that Gandhari observed this fast for Dhritarashtra and Kunti observed this fast for Pandu. Savitri frees her dead husband from Yamraj with the help of her penance.

Solah Shringaar has great importance in Hindu religion. When any big festival comes, married women do their Solah adornment. According to Hindu mythology, the sixteen adornments correspond to the sixteen phases of the moon, which are linked to a woman’s menstrual cycle. It is believed that Solah Shringar counteracts any negative effects of this chakra. The word ‘Shringaar’ is derived from ‘Shri’, which directly means ‘Lakshmi’. Hence, it has been associated with wealth, beauty, fortune and prosperity. Solah Shringaar is done in major festivals apart from weddings. This adornment prolongs the life of the husband.

Story of Karva Chauth,

It was a long time ago that a moneylender had seven sons and one of his sisters. All seven brothers loved their sister very much. The love was so much that he would first feed her and then eat himself. Once his sister had come to her parents’ house from her in-laws’ house. When the brother returned home in the evening after finishing his business, he saw that his sister was very distressed. All the brothers sat down to eat and started requesting their sister to eat also, but the sister told that today she has a Nirjal fast of Karva Chauth and she can eat the food only after seeing the moon and offering it to the moon. Since the moon has not yet risen, she is distraught with hunger and thirst. In such a situation, the youngest brother could not see the condition of his sister and he lit a lamp on a distant Peepal tree and kept it under a sieve. When seen from a distance it appears as if it is the moon of Chaturthi. Brother tells his sister that the moon has come out, you can have food after offering Arghya to her. The sister happily climbs the stairs and looks at the moon, offers water to it and sits down to eat. When she puts the first piece in her mouth, she sneezes. When she puts the second piece, hair comes out in it and as soon as she tries to put the third piece in her mouth, she gets the news of her husband’s death. This makes her nervous. Then his sister-in-law informs him the truth as to why this happened to him. Due to the wrong breaking of the Karva Chauth fast, the gods have become angry with him and have done this. After knowing the truth, Karva decides that she will not allow her husband to be cremated and will bring him back to life with her chastity.

She sits near her husband’s dead body for an entire year. Takes care of him. She keeps collecting the needle-like grass growing on it. After one year the day of Karva Chauth comes again. All her sisters-in-law observe the fast of Karva Chauth. When the sisters-in-law come to seek her blessings, she requests each sister-in-law to ‘Take Yam Sui, give me Piya Sui, make me a bride like you’, but every time the sister-in-law tells her to request the next sister-in-law. Is. Thus, when the sixth sister-in-law comes, Karva repeats the same thing to her. This sister-in-law tells him that since his fast was broken because of the youngest brother, only his wife has the power to bring your husband back to life, so when she comes, you catch hold of her and wait till she brings your husband back to life. Don’t bring him back alive, don’t leave him. Saying this she leaves. The younger sister-in-law comes last. Karva also urges her to become a married woman, but she starts procrastinating. Seeing this, Karva holds him tightly and asks him to bring her husband back to life. Sister-in-law scratches and tugs to free him from it, but does not stop him from getting it done. At last, seeing his penance, the sister-in-law becomes enraged and tears off her little finger and pours nectar from it into her husband’s mouth. Karva’s husband immediately gets up saying Shri Ganesh-Shri Ganesh.

In this way, by the grace of God, Karwa gets her husband back through her younger sister-in-law. O Shri Ganesh Maa Gauri, just as Karva has got the blessing of eternal marriage from you, may all the married women get the same. That means a woman has so much power that she can achieve anything if she wants. That is why women do a kind of penance for the long life of their husbands in the form of Karva Chauth fast. According to the belief, in some places, unmarried girls keep fast for getting the desired husband or for the long life of their fiance, while married women keep fast for the long life of their fiance. She observes the fast of Karva Chauth to pray for her husband’s long life, good health and progress in life.

There is a belief that clay pots should be used in worship on the day of Karva Chauth. It is considered very auspicious and sacred. Karva is considered a symbol of the five elements. Earthen Karwa consists of five elements, namely water, soil, fire, sky, air. From which the person’s body is also made. Soil and water are mixed in Karva. Karva is made by melting clay in water. It is a symbol of land and water elements. After that it is prepared by drying it in sun and air and then cooked in fire. In our culture, water is considered the supreme God. All living beings originated from here. Therefore, the husband should break his wife’s fast only after giving her water from an earthen pot. They wish to make their married life happy by making both the five elements and God as witnesses. Besides, drinking water from an earthen vessel also keeps your health good.