Hinduism: Details about 'Karwa Chauth'
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'Karwa Chauth' is celebrated by married women in some parts of India by fasting for the long life of their husbands. It is celebrated on the fourth night after the full moon in the month of kartik in the Hindu calendar. karwa means clay pot and chauth means fourth night after the full moon. It has a great social and cultural significance and mostly practised in northern part India. The wife starts her fast in the night just after the appearance of the moon in the sky and then sight of husband. Women wait eagerly for the appearance of moon and look at the moon in the sky and then look at her husband's face who then gives with his hands first bite of food and first drops of water of the day to her wife and then she takes her meal. There are various ways/styles of keeping fast and opening it. The one common in Punjab is woman taking food called sergi sent by or given by her mother-in-law before the dawn and then not drink even single drop of water till the appearance of moon in the sky in the night and then sight of her husband. Then she looks at the moon in the sky through a sieve and then closes her eyes till she moves and is able to fit and adjust the sieve just in front of her husband's face and then opens her eyes to look at her husband's face through it. The idea here is that her husband is her moon so no one else should (come in between her and her moon) be visible between sky's moon and her moon. In other parts of northern india women do not take even the sergi before dawn and open fast on the appearance of moon and the sight of her husband. In Punjab, several unmarried girls also keep this fast for getting a good husband. In several other parts of northern india, once engaged, girls keep the fast for their fiancee even before marriage. However, it is not always possible because of geographical separation and/or lack of permission from both families for groom to come, so the girl opens fast by using the groom's photograph and/or telephone call. Recently even husbands have started to keep fast on Karwa Chauth for the long life of their wives. Unmarried girls from families (northern india except Punjab or southern india) where it is not a tradition to keep fast on Karwa Chauth before marriage or not even after marriage have also started to keep fast for getting a good husband. This practise is becoming fashinable and is gaining adoption in the rest of India. On this day, women fill up karwa with food items and jewellery and exchange it with each other. They also say and listen to different stories regarding origin of Karwa Chauth in the evening of the day. Other women are called as god-sisters (dharam behen). Women can share their problems with god-sisters.
The beauty business of applying henna has never had it better than on Karva Chauth day. As women get ready for "Karva Chauth", everybody from the small-time Henna artists to upmarket beauty saloons are busy, creating beautiful and intricate designs on the palm and feet of married women. Henna or Mehndi, considered to be auspicious for married women, is a necessary part of the Karva Chauth ritual. Women get intricate henna designs applied on their hands before they get down to the actual rituals. Before actually applying the henna, the designers outline the pattern or design in their mind. There are several ways to do this. Most traditional henna patterns are based on very simple shapes - circles, triangles and lines are the most basic. These shapes can be combined to create a very intricate pattern and a very beautiful henna design. It is believed that married woman who get dark color from mehendi will get a loads of love and caring from her groom. It also denotes prosperity and good luck. It symbolically says as the henna gives away her color to beautify someones hands, the married woman should also be generous and kind to give up certain things to beautify the life ahead of her.
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