Karwa Chauth History.

                                                  

 Karva Chauth or Karwa Chauth or Karaka Chaturthi (Sanskrit: करकचतुर्थी, romanized: Karakacaturthī is a festival celebrated by Hindu women in northern and western India in October or November during the Hindu lunar month of Kartika. Like many Hindu festivals, Karva Chauth is based on a lunisolar calendar that takes into account all astronomical positions, including the position of the moon, which serves as a marker for calculating important dates. The holiday falls on the fourth th day after the full moon.

On Karva Chauth, married and unmarried women in particular fast from moonrise to moonrise to ensure the safety and longevity of their husbands. The Karva Chauth fast is traditionally celebrated in the states of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Jammu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.It is celebrated as Atla Tadde in Andhra Pradesh.

Origin :-

Karva is another word for “vessel” (a small clay vessel filled with water) and Chauth means “quarter”. in Hindi (a reference to the fact that the festival falls on the fourth day of the dark fortnight or Krishna Paksha of the month of Kartika). In Sanskrit scriptures this festival is called Karaka Chaturthi. Karaka means earthen water pot and Chaturthi means the fourth day of the Hindu lunar month. Karva Chauth is mainly celebrated in North India. One hypothesis is that military operations were often carried out by men in remote areas, leaving their wives and children at home to go to war. Their wives often prayed for their safe return.The festival also coincides with the time of wheat sowing (i.e. the beginning of the Rabi harvest cycle). The large clay pots used to store grains are sometimes called karva. The fast may therefore have begun as a prayer for a good harvest in this wheat-dominated northwestern region. Another story about the origins of this holiday is associated with the bond of female friendship.Due to the common practice of arranged marriages, newlyweds are expected to live with their husbands and in-laws. Since she was new in the family, the custom of befriending another woman as a lifelong friend (kangan-saheli) or sister (dharam-behn) arose. Friendship is sanctified through the Hindu rite during the wedding ceremony itself. The bride's friend was usually the same age (or slightly older), usually married in the same village (so she didn't leave the village), and had no direct connection to her in-laws (so there was no conflict of interest). interest later). This emotional and psychological bond is similar to kinship.It is said that the Karva Chauth festival has evolved to include the celebration of this special bond of friendship. A few days before Karva Chauth, married women bought new karvas (spherical clay pots) – 7-9 inches; Diameter and capacity of 2-3 liters - and painted on the outside with beautiful patterns. Inside were bracelets and ribbons, homemade sweets and treats, make-up accessories and small items of clothing. Then on the day of Karva Chauth, women would visit each other and exchange these karvas.