Once again, it is the month of Kartik and the festival of Karva Chauth is upon us. In October last year, celebrity bahu Aishwarya Rai Bachchan left a juicy Hollywood project to be with hubby Abhishek on her first Karva Chauth.

As we know, it’s a day devoted to fasting (you can’t have even water), dressing up, spending time together and waiting for the never-seem-to-be-rising moon. The very essence of this traditional Hindu festival is togetherness. This festival comes before Diwali on Kartik ki Chauth, the fourth day of the dark moon.

Churi wallas at Gerrard Bazzar, have layered up the tinkle effect, halvais have dished out the karva thali, bright hues have made inroads to the female wardrobe and the traditional henna patterns are still up-and-coming, and so women are gearing up for husband’s day. The markets are alive with the hustle and bustle of women, busy shopping for the day. “The festival is a treat for mehendi wallahs, halwais and bangle sellers, who get busy all day long catering to the needs of their women clients,” says Manika Gupta, a beauty parlour manager on Gerrard Street.

A traditional Hindu festival of feasting and fasting, Karva Chauth over the years has acquired a special significance for the `married queens’. I have been celebrating this festival for past 17 years.

Married women fast one whole day without food or water for the long life of their husbands. The ritual signifies extreme love and devotion to the husband. Here in Canada, I somehow find it little difficult to apply mehendi on my hands. So it`s my husband who makes some imprints on my palms. Or me and my friends get together at someone’s house and apply mehandi on each other’s hands. Though these are not like the original mehndi prints, the joy of sharing sweet moments like this with my husband will be fresh forever in my heart. 

On this day, they observe a fast, praying for the long life, well being and prosperity of their husband. They break their fast in the evening, after moonrise. On this sacred festival, people come together and socialize with friends and family, exchange gifts and share home-cooked meals. It also provides an opportunity to all married women, to get close to their in-laws.

Karwa Chauth is the festival which reflects joy, splendour, brightness and happiness of a married life. There is a difference though celebrating this festival here and in India. In India this festival is celebrated with lots of pomp and show. You can really see the markets all decked up for the occasion, luring women to purchase more than required.  When women go on a shopping spree for this occasion they get a chance to eat gol-gappas, chat-papdi and much more from the Pheriwallas on the street. Here the story is quite different. We can hardly fine the pheriwallas here. And only a handful of people celebrate this special occasion. The only crowd that you see is in the temple where the women get together to pray for the long life of their husbands.

The tradition of gifting

In spite of being one of the toughest fast, Karva Chauth is always looked forward and is welcomed by married woman with great fervor. One of the reasons behind this joy and happiness is the golden chance of receiving expensive and beautiful gifts from their husbands and relatives. As this festival is considered very important for married women, all the symbols that reflects the marriage status of a woman is in high demand such as jewelery, bangles, henna, sarees, lehnga choli and many other traditional gifts.

Gifts given on the Karva Chauth day is an expression of love between man and wife. Karwa Chauth is particularly special for a newly-wed woman who gets decked up in her bridal finery. During this festive occasion, jewelers and apparel makers get into the act, with special collections and designs at every price point imaginable. Thus, women observing a fast for the well-being of their husbands are rewarded with gifts by their husbands and other relatives.

Author:Deepa Vijh