Karva Chauth is a significant festival celebrated across Northern India. On Karva Chauth, a festival that falls 10 days after Dussehra, married women pray for the long life and well-being of their husbands.
It is considered as one of the most challenging fasts because women only eat or drink after offering Arghya to the Moon with an earthen pot known as Karva.
Date And Time
Karva Chauth is celebrated on Chaturthi Tithi of Krishna Paksha in the Hindu calendar month of Kartik. This year, it will be on Sunday (October 24). The Chaturthi Tithi will begin at 3:01 am and end at 5:43 am the next day. The fast will be observed between 6.36 am and 8.36 pm on Sunday.
While women break the fast after moonrise, the Karva Chauth katha puja is conducted in the evening. This year, the puja timings are – 6:09 pm to 7:24 pm.
History And Significance
On Karva Chauth, women pray to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. According to Hindu mythology, a queen named Veeravati visited her brothers during Karva Chauth. As time went by, she started to feel a little faint and eagerly waited for the Moon to break her fast. After seeing her plight, Veeravati’s brothers decided to trick her into breaking her fast. Seeing a Moon-like object in the sky, she broke her fast. Unfortunately, the moment she did, the news of her husband’s death arrived.
After learning about the trick, Veeravati promised to hold a fast every month with full devotion and prayed to the Gods. Finally, she got her husband back.