Patna: Married Hindu women across India will mark Karva Chauth on October 10, by observing a day-long fast and offering prayers for the health and longevity of their husbands. The festival, falling on the fourth day of the Kartik month in the Hindu calendar, is celebrated with devotion, ritual adornment and family traditions.
According d astrologer, women abstain from food and water until moonrise, when they perform prayers to Goddess Karva Devi. Dressed in bridal finery and adorned with the traditional solah shringar (sixteen adornments), they prepare a decorated plate containing a lamp, sweets, a clay pot and a sieve – the last of which holds a unique role in the ritual.
The sieve and the moon
At night, women view the rising moon not directly, but through a sieve. The ritual, followed by gazing at their husband’s face and breaking the fast with water offered by him, is rooted in mythology. Hindu texts recount a tale in which Lord Ganesha cursed the Moon for arrogance, decreeing that anyone who looked at it on Chaturthi would incur misfortune. The sieve, with its perforated shadow, is seen as a way to avoid direct sight while symbolically prolonging a husband’s life.
Significance of the clay pot
The name of the festival itself is linked to the karva, or earthen pot, which plays a central role in the prayers. Scholars describe it as representing the five elements – earth, water, fire, air and sky – and a symbol of balance in married life. The ritual often involves an exchange of karvas between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, symbolising blessings, respect and familial bonds.
Rules and customs
Astrologers advise fasting women to avoid eating or drinking before moonrise, wearing black or white clothes, or speaking harshly, as these are considered inauspicious. The fast is broken ritually, first by offering water mixed with milk, vermillion, rice and sugar to the moon, and then by drinking water and eating sweets from the husband’s hand.
While Karva Chauth is traditionally observed by married women, many unmarried women also participate, hoping for a good partner. In such cases, the fast is often modified, ending at the sight of stars rather than the moon.
This year’s observance
The 2025 festival coincides with Vyatipat Yoga, a period astrologers describe as inauspicious for new ventures or ceremonies. Despite this, scholars emphasise that Karva Chauth prayers remain unaffected, with worship of Lord Shiva, Goddess Gauri and Lord Ganesha said to dispel negative influences.
Astrologer explains: “Even in Vyatipat Yoga, chanting mantras, offering prayers to the Shiva family, and observing the fast as prescribed brings peace, prosperity and marital happiness.”
Charity and meditation are also considered especially beneficial on this day, with donations believed to erase past sins.
Karva Chauth, often described as both a religious fast and a celebration of marital love, continues to hold deep cultural resonance for millions of women – its rituals blending mythology, symbolism and devotion in a uniquely Indian festival.
