Karva Chauth
In olden days, the wives of Indian warriors used to fast and pray on the fourth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Kartik (October and November) every year for the safe return of their spouses. They called this day Karva Chauth or Karaka Chaturthi. Karwa or Karaka means a clay vase used for offering water to the deity: it refers to a religious service known as Arghya. The Chaturthi or Chauth denotes the fourth day. Married women observe a one-day fast for the long and happy lives of their husbands. Parents present their married daughters with gifts and freshly harvested grains. Celebrants paint pictures of Lord Shiva, Mata Gauri, Ganesh, the Sun, the Moon, household articles and karawa on the walls; and in front of it they decorate the floor with rangoli in advance. They take feni and milk on the eve of the festival, as a pre-dawn meal known as sargi so that they may spend the day of fasting without water. The fast begins at dawn and ends at the visibility of moon in the e...