October 27 is a big day for married Hindu women, the festival of Karwa Chauth. Celebrated in great fervour especially in the Northern states of India, the day marks the observance of love and compassion between a husband and wife. On this day, married women observe a strict fast to seek a long life for their husbands. The festive day of Karwa Chauth falls on the fourth day after the full moon day, during the Krishna Paksha. Women from the states of Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, some parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab primarily follow Karva Chauth but nowadays, the festival is observed all over the country. Karwa Chauth 2018 Date in India: When to Keep Karva Chauth Vrat? Moon Rise Timing and Shubh Muhurat to Break the Fast. 

‘Karwa’ stands for an earthen pot and ‘Chauth’ means fourth in Hindi. Although married women keep a strict fast, with no food or water throughout the day, even unmarried girls observe Karwa Chauth. Women break their fast only after they spot the moon in the night sky. Women perform the puja when the moon rises. They look at the moon through a sieve and then the husbands help their wives to break the fast by offering them water and food. Ladies look forward to this day with great enthusiasm. Let us tell you about the historical legend, timings, puja vidhi for this day-long festival.

History of Karwa Chauth

The festival of Karwa Chauth revolves around the story of Queen Veeravati. She was married off at a young age. She was observing the Karwa Chauth fast at her parents' home. Being the only sister amongst her 7 brothers, she was the most loved among them. While she was following a strict fast for her husband, her brothers could not see her hungry and feel thirsty. In order to break her fast, they showed her an artificial moon. Veeravati was unaware and broke her fast after seeing the artificial moon created by her brothers. The minute Veeravati broke her fast and had the first morsel, she got the news that her husband passed away.

Veeravati could not bear with the pain and kept crying all night. A Goddess then appeared in front of her and asked her why she was weeping. She told her to observe the fast again but with dedication and devotion. Veeravati once again observed a strict fast and seeing her dedication, the God Yama brought her husband back to life.

Puja Muhurat for Karwa Chauth

The Puja Muhurat for Karwa Chauth will start from 18.04 pm and go on till 19.19 pm. It will last for 1 hour 15 mins. The Chaturthi Tithi Begins at 18:37 on October 27, 2018 and end at 16:54 on October 28, 2018.

Puja Vidhi for Karwa Chauth

  • A day of Karwa Chauth begins early for the women. They wake up early in the morning and eat sargi, food that is prepared by the in-laws. They have the meal before sunrise.

  • They take bath and make a pledge to keep a nirjal fast. On the day they offer worship to Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati and Lord Ganesha.

  • Women dress in traditional attires, wear cosmetics, jewellery. Since they celebrate the holy bond of marriage, they dress up akin to their wedding for the Puja time. Karwa Chauth 2018 Mehndi Design Ideas: Beautiful Traditional Henna Patterns to Apply on this Auspicious Festival. 

  • The puja starts at moonrise. It worships Goddess Parvati. So women either draw Goddess Gaura and Chauth Mata on the wall or use a picture of the Goddess for worship.

  • Women perform the puja in a group and narrate the story of Karwa Chauth.

  • After the evening puja, the women wait for moonrise. They see the image of the moon in a pot and then look at the moon through a sieve. Once they look at the moon, they look at the face of their husband.

  • Usually, the husbands then give water and morsel of food to their wives to break the fast.

Puja Mantra for Karwa Chauth

The mantra to be chanted during the Karwa Chauth is "नमः शिवायै शर्वाण्यै सौभाग्यं संतति शुभाम्‌। प्रयच्छ भक्तियुक्तानां नारीणां हरवल्लभे॥" The mantra means "O beloved consort of Lord Shiva, please bestow long life of the husband and beautiful sons to your women devotees".

The Karwa Chauth vrat is a strict one and women should completely abstain from having food and water until the moonrise. The fast lasts for more than 12 hours and it has been represented in several Bollywood movies as well. Married or unmarried, all women are excited for the day.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 27, 2018 11:57 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).