Q.1 What is Karwa Chauth?

Karwa Chauth is a one-day festival celebrated annually by married Hindu women in which they observe a fast from sunrise to moonrise and pray for the well-being and longevity of their husbands. The festival is also observed by unmarried women who pray in the hope of securing a desired life partner.

Q.2 When is it celebrated?

Karwa Chauth is celebrated by Hindu women from the Indian Subcontinent. Like many Hindu festivals, Karwa Chauth is based on the lunisolar calendar which accounts for all astronomical positions, especially positions of the moon which is used as a marker to calculate important dates. The festival falls on the fourth day after the Purnima (full moon) , in the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Kartik.

Q.3 Where is Karwa Chauth mostly celebrated?

On Karwa Chauth, married women, especially in North India, observe fast from sunrise to moonrise for the safety and longevity of their husbands. The Karwa Chauth fast is traditionally celebrated in the states of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. It is celebrated as Atla Tadde in Andhra Pradesh.

Q.4 What is etymology behind ‘Karwa Chauth’?

Karwa is another word for ‘pot’ (a small earthen pot of water) and chauth means ‘fourth’ in (a reference to the fact that the festival falls on the fourth day of the dark-fortnight, or Krishna paksh, of the month of Kartik).
In Sanskrit scriptures, the festival is addressed as Kark Chaturthi, Kark meaning a earthen water pitcher and Chaturthi denotes fourth day of lunar Hindu month.

Q.5 How is Karwa Chauth celebrated?

On this day, married women dress up in new clothes (preferably red which signifies a happy married life) and apply henna on their hands as a part of the festivities. Women observing this nirjala fast get together on this day and celebrate it by narrating folk tale, reading Karwa Chauth Vrat Katha and singing folk songs– all of which make it a lively festival. Women also worship Goddess Parvati in the Karwa Chauth puja followed by Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesh and Lord Kartikeya. The fast is later broken after having a glimpse of the moon.

Q.6 To which God is Karwachauth associated?

Karwa Chauth has received a more religious undertone because of the various items that are offered to the Goddess Parvati (followed by Lord Shiva) and a didactic story that is narrated by an elderly woman before the fast is over.

Q.7 Why was Karwa Chauth historically celebrated?

Historically,Karva Chauth was celebrated as a prayer for the long life of soldiers in the war, and by extension today refers to the long life of a married husband.

Q.8 Can unmarried women fast on Karwa Chauth?

Yes, even the unmarried girls can fast on Karwa chauth. However, while married women and men are required to wait till the moon rises in the sky to break their fast, unmarried people can cast a brief look at the pole star to break their day-long fast.

Q.9 What is the story and history behind Karwa Chauth?

There are various stories and legends behind celebrating this festival. However, the most famous is ‘The Story of Queen Veervati’.
The most popular story is that of the beautiful queen named Veervati, who was the only sister of seven loving brothers. She spent her first Karva Chauth as a married woman at her parents’ house. She began to fast after sunrise but by evening, was desperately waiting for the moon to rise. She couldn’t put up with the thirst and hunger any longer. Her brothers were anguished to see their beloved sister suffering with thirst and hunger undergoing the strict fast for Karwa Chauth. They begged her to break the fast but she refused. Seeing her in distress, they tricked her by placing a round mirror in a Pipal tree, which made it look like the moon had risen. A false moon was created to convince her that the moon came out. So, Veervati fell for her brothers’ tricks and broke her fast. The moment she sat down to eat word arrived that her husband, the king was dead.

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