Karva chauth: A celebration of love and relationships

Festivals play an important role in Indian culture. There is always a celebration going on in some part of the country throughout the year . One such beautiful festival is "Karva Chauth". This is mostly celebrated in the northern parts of India. But thanks to Bollywood for glorifying this occasion, and spreading it to other parts.

What is Karva Chauth?

"Karva" means earthen pot and "Chauth" means four. This festival is celebrated on the fourth day after purnima of Kartik month. Hence the name 'Karva chauth'.This month also makes the season of harvest for Rabi crops. So it gives a chance for people to gather and celebrate.Married women keep a long day fast until the moon rise without any food or water for the safety and long life of their husbands.Ladies put their best attires, looking like a bride, they worship the moon in the evening. After the pooja, they break their fast with the water from the karva followed by a dinner with family.

Origin of the festival:

There are different tales associated with the festival. All of the stories signifies,how a woman's strong love for their husbands.

• The story of queen Veeravati
• The story of Karva
• The legend of Mahabharata (Draupadi)
• The story of Satyavan and Savitri

From a logical explanation point, In ancient age, people used to go for war during this season.So the wives used to pray for their safety returns which also believed to be one of the reason to celebrate the occasion.

Even though the occasion mainly signifies the bond between married couples, there are many other hidden aspects of the festivals. Here are few of them:

Celebrating the bond between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law:

The fast for the day begins before sunrise where mother-in-laws give the "sargi" (pre-dawn meal which is a mix of sweets and savory items) to their daughter-in-laws. Both of them enjoy the meal together so that they can go the whole day without food and water. Sargi is a way to give their blessings for a happy married life.In the same fashion, After breaking the fast in the evening, daughter-in-laws gives gifts to their mother-in-laws which is a way of showing their gratitude for all the love and care they receive. For a married woman, this bond has a great significance, where she looks for that motherly love in her new home.

Celebrating the bond of friendship:

A day before the festival, women get together to enjoy the mehendi night, where they apply beautiful heena designs on the hands.On the day of the fast, ladies gets dressed in the best sarees or lehengas, jewelleries,meet in groups to do the pooja in evening. So this occasion brings the friends together to celebrate the festival with full enthusiasm. One of the reason behind karva chauth celebration is actually because of friendship. In the old age, when married girls had no means of communication with their parents after they moved to their husbands home, they used to get a friend assigned from the new village who is known as the God-sister. She used to be the person with whom the new bride can openly discuss all her feelings. Comes the new era, today best friends plan for multi day celebration for this festival.So its a festival that brings the friends together.

Celebrating your own self:

Festivals are a way to rejuvenate yourself. It gives an excuse to come out of the mundane routine and recharge yourself. The day long fast that women keep on this festival actually detoxifies the body. Its a proven fact that, occasional fasting is a good way to cleanse the body from inside. In the modern age, girls actually go for self pampering during the festival. From Visiting spas to shopping designer outfits, planning  fun activities with friends have become the trend to celebrate the occasion.

Celebrating the marital bond:

Last but not the least, the primary reason behind the festival is to celebrate the love between the husband and wife. Its the strong bond between the two which makes the long day fast totally worth it.Wives break the fast in the evening after seeing the moon and prays for their husbands longevity.

These days there are several counter arguments coming up asking for the validity of this festival. Why only women should fast, how can somebody fasting will increase the lifespan of another person and so on.
In my opinion, A person should celebrate a festival or any ritual out of their own interest. When you do something out of love for someone, anything magical is possible.