Karwa Chauth 2020: The day has a long history. (File photo)Karwa Chauth 2020 Vrat Katha: Every year, married women and those of marriage age celebrate Karwa Chauth. They fast the whole day so that they are blessed with long and healthy life for their husbands. It is celebrated with abandon in states like Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. This year, it is being celebrated on November 4 (Wednesday).
On this day, women wake up before sunrise and begin with the rituals which mainly consists of observing a fast without drinking water and eating any foods. It is broken in the evenings, only after sighting the moon following which husbands or fiance feed the first bite of food. Women also dress up in colourful bridal attire and apply mehndi on their hands to mark this day.
According to drikpanchang, many years ago there was a Brahmin named Vedsharma in Indraprasthapur who was married to Leelavati. They had seven sons and one daughter named Veeravati, who was pampered by everyone. After getting married, she observed Karwa Chauth and fasted for her husband. Incidentally, she was with her family and fainted due to weakness.
To help their sister, the brothers hatched a plan. They climbed on the tree of Vat with sieve and lamp to create an impression that the moon is up and their sister can break the fast. She fell for it but received bad omens at every bite of the food she ate. In the end, it culminates to finding the dead body of her husband on reaching his home. Seeing him like that, Veeravati wept profusely and blamed herself. On seeing her inconsolable Goddess Indrani, the wife of God Indra, came to console her.
When the latter asked what did she do to deserve such a fate that too on such a day, she was told it happened because Veeravati did not pay her respects to the moon. To make up for it she fasted every month for a year and finally got her husband back.