Karva Chauth

Karva Chauth (Hindi: करवा चौथ) is a one-day festival celebrated by Hindu women in North India in which married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for the safety and longevity of their husbands. The fast is traditionally observed in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, parts of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab. The festival falls on the fourth day after the full moon, in the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Kartik. Sometimes, unmarried women observe the fast for their fiancés or desired husbands.

A similar festival known as Chhath is observed in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and western Bihar. In Sindh, Teej is celebrated in the same style.

Etymology and origins

Karva is another word for 'pot' (a small earthen pot of water) and chauth means 'fourth' in Hindi (a reference to the fact that the festival falls on the fourth day of the dark-fortnight, or krishna paksh, of the month of Kartik).

The festival originated and came to be celebrated only in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. The hypothesis is that military campaigns were often conducted by Hindus who were defending India against Mughal invaders, they would often leave their wives and children to go off to war. Their wives would often pray and observe a day of socialising, with other women, by preparing special meals, and dressing up in their finest regalia, and having what would today be deemed as a romantic evening with their husband before he went off to war.

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Latest News for: karva chauth

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Rajesh Kumar Reacts To Ratna Pathak Shah’s Views On Karva Chauth: 'Liberal Women Like Her ...

News18 13 Mar 2025
Actor Rajesh Kumar has responded to Ratna Pathak Shah’s remarks on Karva Chauth, where she called the tradition “appalling.” ... .
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‘Women like Ratna Pathak Shah question sanskriti’: Sarabhai co-star Rajesh Kumar reacts to her Karva ...

Hindustan Times 13 Mar 2025
Actor Ratna Pathak Shah had said in 2022 that she finds the tradition of modern women observing Karva Chauth for their husbands to be appalling ... Rajesh Kumar reacted to Ratna Pathak Shah's comments on Karva Chauth.
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Mrs Director Arati Kadav Feels Bollywood 'Glorifies' Karwa Chauth: 'The Portrayal Bothers Me'

News18 07 Mar 2025
Arati Kadav reflects on the importance of questioning Bollywood’s celebratory portrayal of Karva Chauth and her decision to frame the film as a coming-of-age story ... .
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Women don’t owe happiness to everyone: 'Mrs.' Screenwriter Anu Singh Choudhary

Madhyamam 04 Mar 2025
She pointed out that while issues like the prohibition on women entering the Sabarimala temple are significant in the South, North India has its own set of gendered customs, such as Karva Chauth, ...
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