Happy and Healthy Karvachauth 2014
Karvachauth (pronounced as Karwa-Chauth) is a large festival mostly celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs, mainly in Northern India. In 2014, it is being celebrated on Saturday, October 11th. Indian States where there are large Karvachauth celebrations include Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Himachal Pradesh (HP), Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Gujarat. Women who are married commit to a fast with the intent of prolonging the health, happiness, and wealth of their husbands. In most Hindu & Sikh households, woman serve as a significant link between the family and society. Therefore, apart from religious reasons, this Hindu/Sikh celebration holds more social importance. The wife performs customary dietary needs and pleasures on this day to seek blessings for her husband such as fasting until the she can see the moon on that day. In modern India, many husbands also fast for their wives and do not eat until their wives fast is complete.
In India, some women start preparing for Karvachauth a few days before the actual date of the festival, by purchasing cosmetics and pooja items, such as the karwa lamps, indian sweets (ladoo etc), mendhi and the decorated silver prayer thali (plate).
Karvachauth carries an important legend from the Hindu legend of Mahabharata where Draupadi, is said to have observed this fast. Once Arjuna went to the Nilgiris for penance and the rest of the Pandavas faced many problems in his absence. Draupadi, out of desperation, remembered Lord Krishna and asked for help. Lord Krishna reminded her that on an earlier occasion, when Goddess Parvati had sought Lord Shiva’s guidance under similar circumstances, she had been advised to observe the fast of Karvachauth. In some tellings of this legend, Shiva tells Parvati the story of Veervati to describe the Karvachauth fast. Draupadi followed the instructions and observed the fast with all its rituals. Consequently, the Pandavas were able to overcome their problems.
The Chakra news team would like to wish all married couples a blessed and healthy Karvachauth and would also like to bless all women/men with prosperous & longevity.