Karva Chauth

Karva Chauth is celebrated on the Chaturthi of the Krishna Paksha of the Kartik month. On this day married women fast, wishing for their husbands' long life, health and a happy married life. "Karva" means a clay or metal water pot, and "Chauth" means Chaturthi. The festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm in North India, especially in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. On this day Lord Shiva, Mother Parvati, Shri Ganesh and Chandra Dev are worshipped. The fast is regarded as a symbol of love, trust and togetherness.

Karva Chauth falls on the Kartik Krishna Chaturthi, a few days before Diwali. The fast is kept from sunrise until moonrise, so the time of moonrise is the most important. Check the calendar date given above, and see the Panchang for your city's moonrise and puja muhurat.

• Karva (clay or metal) with a lid, water, a sieve (chhalni) • Picture or idol of Lord Shiva, Mother Parvati, Shri Ganesh and Kartikeya, a chowki • Roli, sandalwood paste, akshat, turmeric, sindoor, flowers • Suhag items: bangles, bindi, mehendi, mahavar and adornment items • Incense, lamp, camphor, ghee • Sweets, fruits, mathri, dry fruits and the items for sargi • A book of the Karva Chauth story

1. Eat sargi before sunrise. By tradition sargi is given by the mother-in-law. 2. After a bath, take the sankalp for the fast and keep it through the day. Decide the nature of the fast according to your family tradition and your health. 3. In the evening, do the solah shringar (sixteen adornments) and decorate the puja spot. 4. Install the Shiv family on the chowki, fill the karva with water and worship with roli and akshat. 5. All the women sit together and listen to the Karva Chauth story, and exchange karvas. 6. When the moon rises, look at the moon through a sieve and then look at your husband's face through the same sieve. 7. Offer arghya to the moon, and break the fast by drinking water from your husband's hand and eating sweets.

The most famous of the popular stories is that of Veervati. Veervati, the only sister of seven brothers, kept the Karva Chauth fast for the first time. Seeing her distressed by hunger and thirst, her brothers tricked her by showing the light of a lamp as the moon and made her break the fast. After this her husband's life was in danger. With remorse, Veervati kept the fast again following all the rules, and her husband recovered. Many forms of this story are told in different regions. To read the full story, see the story page linked below.

• Pregnant, unwell or elderly women should decide the nature of the fast according to their health and their doctor's advice. Devotion and resolve are the heart of the fast. • In many families today, husbands also fast along with their wives. • In many regions unmarried girls also keep the fast, wishing for a future life partner.