Karvachauth is a festival in which married women fast from dawn to dusk for the safety and longevity of their husbands. It is mainly observed in the Northern India.
Falling about 10 days before Diwali, you will see married women teeming up the market place to buy the bare essentials for the fast.
Women adorn themselves in 16 different types of jewelries beautifying her from tip to toe.
Here’s an Introduction to this festival.
The Preparation:
Karva means ‘pot’ (a small earthen pot of water) and chauth means ‘fourth’ in Hindi (as the festival falls on the fourth day of the month of Kartik.)
This year the festival falls on the 19th of October, Wednesday.
Women begin preparing for Karva Chauth a few days in advance, by buying cosmetics (shringar), traditional adornments or jewelry, and puja items, and most importantly, Henna.
The Fast:
Certainly, henna and sindoor are the most important part of her emblishments on this day.
They dress themselves in the best of attires, preferably wearing red or pink, to symbolize ‘Love’ in their marriage life.
On the day of the fast, women awake to eat and drink just before sunrise. If the mother-in-law lives with the woman, the pre-dawn meal is prepared by the mother-in-law.
The fast begins with dawn. Fasting women do not eat during the day.
Parents often send gifts to their married daughters and their children.
The Prayer:
In the evening the women assemble in the temple or someone’s house to perform the prayer ceremony.
Moreover, the women are decked up with the finest dresses and jewelry to add more charm to the festival.
They sit in a circle with their puja thalis consisting of an oil lamp, sindoor, rice, a small pot with water, a piece of sweet and fruit.
Usually, an older woman or a priest narrates the story of Karva Chauth with regular pauses. In the pauses, the Karva Chauth puja song is sung collectively the singers perform the feris (passing their thalis around in the circle).
After the fera ceremony is concluded, the women await the rising of the moon.
Breaking the fast:
Once the moon is visible, depending on the region and community, the fasting woman, with her husband nearby views its reflection in a vessel filled with water, through a sieve, or through the cloth of a dupatta.
She offers water to the moon, called Arga, to secure its blessings.
She then turns to her husband and views his face indirectly in the same manner.
The husband now takes the water from the thali and gives his wife her first sip and feeds her with the first morsel of the day.
Karvachauth in Manila:
Manila Indian wishes all the gorgeous ladies here in town, a very Happy Karvachauth.
While you are still preparing for the prayer, here’s where you can buy Bangles , henna, and all the puja materials:
Assad Mini Mart:
Paco Branch: Assad Mini Mart, UN Ave, UN Avenue LRT Station.Tel: 02-526-1349 or 02-526-5034.
Makati Branch: 1-A, Eurocrest Bldg, 126 Jupiter Street, Makati, 1209 Metro Manila, Philippines. Tel: 02-897 2543
Marikina Branch: Door # 5, Thaddeus Arcade, Gil Fernando Avenue, San Roque, Marikina City.
Quezon City Branch: Unit 6, ITC Commercial Center, Timog Ave. cor Panay St,
Quezon City. Tel: 02-372-3146
Time N Treasure: G/F Gift Market, Market Market, Taguig City.
For Mehendi Application:
Miss Kiran: Ph # 02 2822338, 02 3838957
Miss Kiran Bala: For Mehendi, Facial and Threading
Ph# 0917 828 2338, 022113922
Ms Simran Rajani: Facial, threading and mehendi
ph # 09052230060
Vrat Katha:
