Karwa Chauth 2017: In Karwa Chauth, there is a ritual where most women, especially Punjabi women, receive Sargi from their mother-in-law. (IE photo)
Karwa Chauth 2017: After Navratra, now people are gearing up for yet another popular Indian cultural ritual. The buzz now is around the festival of Karwa Chauth – the day when married women fast for the well-being and long life of their husbands. Karwa Chauth falls on the fourth day of the Hindu month of Kartik in the lunisolar calendar, as reported by the Indian Express. This year it has fallen on October 8. Women across India eagerly wait for the moon to rise, while the men go busy deciding what to gift their wives who observe a fast for them for the whole day. On this auspicious day women chant prayers for the long life and safety of their husbands.
In Karwa Chauth, there is a ritual where most women, especially Punjabi women, receive Sargi from their mother-in-law. Sargi is an important traditional pre-dawn meal prepared by the mother-in-law for her daughter-in-law to bless her on this special day, as per the report by NDTV.
Women wake up early in the morning around 4-5 am before sunrise and eat a plateful of savouries and sweets, as reported by NDTV. This keeps them going throughout the day without food and water. According to the rituals and traditions, the mother-in-law presents a thali of sweetmeats and savouries to her daughter-in-law only to bless her for the completion of the fast on this special day.
A Sargi ideally consists of mithai, matthri, coconut and dry fruits, along with some gifts like sarees, jewellery and other. Women in Northern India, especially in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh observe the Karwa Chauth fast for their husbands from dusk to dawn.
