Karva Chauth, one of the most auspicious festivals celebrated by Hindu women in several parts of India is approaching soon! As many of us are busy in preparing for the celebrations, some of us are still not aware of this popular festival. To help those ladies in gaining a better understanding of this day, Mother’s Zone has brought some interesting information that is surely going to help every woman to have a blissful celebration this Karva Chauth.
What is it all about?
Karva Chauth is a fasting ritual that usually married Indian women observe from sunrise to moonrise for the longevity, safety, prosperity and well-being of their husbands. The fast is extremely popular in the western and northern parts of India, comprising of various regions such as Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The prominence of this fast is so much that some unmarried women also observe this fast for their fiancés or for their desired partners.
The festival falls on the fourth day after the full moon, in the month of ‘Karthik’ and nine days before Diwali. And so, it is named as Karva Chauth, where ‘Karva’ implies an earthen pot (diya) and ‘Chauth’ implies the ‘fourth day’.
Makeup Tips For This Karva Chauth
Are you a working woman? Do you find it difficult to get ready every morning for the office, let alone getting ready on the day of Karva Chauth and heading towards the office? If so, then do not worry! Mother’s Zone is there to help you!
Follow these latest and easy to do make up tips from our beauty experts and be all set to look your best for one of the most awaited days of the year!
Get Those Stunning Eyes — Mostly women peachy eye makeup shades when wearing clothes in shades of red, orange, or maroon for this day. So in case you are also opting for such bright colored clothes, then you can create a stunning effect on your eyes by going for bronze, gold, copper, or even emerald green eye shadow.Apply your favorite eyeliner in the popular ‘winged style’, curl your lashes and add a dab of mascara to accentuate your beautiful eyes!
Let Your Lips Do The Talking – Perfectly colored lips are on the must have list of every woman who wants to look her very best during this day. Be trendy and experiment with lipsticks that come in bold shades like neon orange, deep red, hot pink, etc. If keeping it simple is what you adore, then go for a subtle light pink shade and add a bit of gloss to your pout to get that perfect look!
Look Heavenly With Gorgeous Hairstyle :
Gone are the days when women ignored their hair while getting ready for any occasion. At present, ladies wish to look prim and proper from top to bottom. To achieve your best ever look, make sure that you take extra care of your hair. If you color your hair then go for regular spa treatments to make them stay well hydrated and moisturized. Make a messy bun to create that alluring look, or you can even flaunt your mane with traditional braids to look sassy.Choose hairstyle which are appropriate with your face and makeup will surely add an extra complimentary on your beauty.
Go For Rosy Cheeks:
No matter whether you blush on seeing your better half at the end of the day when ‘the-much-awaited-moon’ arrives, you still need to be all rosy and beautiful. So give your cheeks a treat with a couple of strokes of your favorite blush, and you will be all set to dazzle with your attractive looks.
Gift Ideas For Karva Chauth
Karva Chauth is not just a religious ceremony, but also an occasion that helps in fostering the relationship between married women and their mother-in-laws. The day is celebrated with great enthusiasm and is actually one of the festivals when people believe in exchanging gifts. If you are looking for the right gift for your mother-in-law and wish to please her in the best possible manner, then we have brought you a list of some interesting gift ideas for this Karva Chauth!
Just read on and pick the right and the most suitable gift for your loving ‘Saasu Maa’!
Sweets – This is perhaps, one of the most sought after and foolproof ways to please your mother-in-law. Pick her favorite sweets from her favorite sweets shop and make the best use of this day to add strength to your relationship with her. It’s time to add some flavored sweetness into the relationship of daughter-in-law and mother-in-law this Karva Chauth. So, be all ready to make your adorable mother in law happy by gifting her some truly delectable sweets.
Dry Fruits Gift Hamper – Another gift option which is quite famous in the market when it comes to picking the right present for your saasu maa is a gift hamper that contains assorted dry fruits. With winters approaching soon, this gift will be a sure shot entry in the list of many bahus! So, don’t wait and pour in some royalty this Karva Chauth by getting a scrumptious dry fruits gift hamper for your mother-in-law.
Clothes – There is no denying the fact that women just love clothes! Be it a small school going girl or your grand mom, everybody loves to get dressed in something new and exquisite. So, please your mother-in-law by gifting her some stunning suits/sarees that match her taste in the right manner. Pick something in her favorite color and fabric, and your mother-in-law will be all love struck seeing the care that you have for her.
Jewelry – Needless to say, one of the most interesting and everlasting gifts is jewelry such as designer bangles, gold bangles, Necklace, Rings and many more.! No matter whether your saasu maa has got everything in the world when it comes to jewelry, you can surely delight her by gifting her one more jewelry piece that will make her feel proud to have you as her daughter-in-law. After all, your concern to please her is what matters the most, and when she will see the efforts that you are making, she will surely be touched emotionally!
A Grand Family Dinner – Your husband might be the one who usually takes you and your family out for a dinner, but do something different this Karva Chauth and take the entire family on dinner on your own. This will not only make your mother-in-law happy but will also make all of your family members be proud to have you in the family.
Mehndi Ideas
Karva Chauth is certainly incomplete without the pious ‘Mehndi’. Women make all the necessary efforts to get some time for the application of mehndi on their hands. As a matter of fact, there are certain women who prefer applying it on their feet as well.
As mehndi application is a must for this festival, we bring to you a list of the latest mehndi designs for karwa chauth that will help you adorn your hands and feet in the best possible manner. Pick the right design for your hands and look strikingly beautiful!
- The Attractive African Designs
- The Amazing Arabic Designs
- The Gleaming Glitter Designs
- The Pretty Pakistani Designs
- The Ravishing Rajasthani Designs
Karva Chauth Rituals
Sargi
Sargi is an essential element of the wonderful celebrations of Karva Chauth. Married women or even brides-to-be get sargi from their mother-in-laws. It is basically a collection of customary and sumptuous food that needs to be consumed by the married women before sunrise. It includes various types of sweets, fruits, food items and nowadays, some exquisite clothes as well.
Baya
Mothers of married women gift baya to the in-laws of their daughters. It may contain money, jewelry, some food items such as sweets, Mathris, almonds, and the rest. Baya should reach the girl’s house in the afternoon, before the evening puja begins.
Eating Before The Fast
Married women or brides-to-be get up early in the morning, before sunrise, take a bath and get ready to eat the sargi sent by their mother in laws. This sargi is said to support the body of a woman and give her the strength to carry on the tough fast from sunrise till the moon arrives in the night.
Shringar
As per the traditions and customs, married women should do all the shringar and put their best clothes and jewelry on the day of Karva Chauth. Applying mehndi on hands and feet is another important custom that needs to be followed. Women should look like newly-weds by doing proper shringar on this day of the year.
Puja
In the evening or by the midafternoon, married women in the neighborhood assemble for the puja. The place where the puja is to be done is well decorated with flowers, kharia matti (mud) and an idol of Goddess Parvati. The puja then begins and the traditional story of Karva Chauth is narrated to the married women.
Breaking The Fast
Upon the moonrise, married women break their fasts. Earthen lamps ae lit and water is filled in containers to break the fast. Sieve plays an important part in breaking the fast. The husband stands in front of the wife, and the wife sees the moon through the sieve. Water is first offered to the moon, and the wives do a prayer for the long lives of their husbands. The husbands then feed their wives with their first morsel of food for the day, and/or give them some water to drink, which ends the fast lovingly.
Menu
It goes without saying that no Indian festival is complete without great food and mouthwatering desserts. Karva Chauth calls for the preparation of some incredible food to please the taste buds of the married women after a day long fast. So, we bring to you some of the most popular food items that make an entry in the Karva Chauth Menu!
Aloo Gobhi – Cooked with cauliflower, potatoes, onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and lots of love, this dish is certainly a favorite of many food lovers when it comes to celebrating Karva Chauth with some great food options.
Rajma Masala – It is hard to think about any festival which is celebrated in North India that doesn’t have Rajma Masala in the food menu! This, all-time favorite food item of young and old generation alike, is a creamy and absolutely delicious Punjabi recipe which goes well with roti, parathas, naan and rice. Team this up with veg pulao and onions and you are sure to have a great meal!Find Rajma Masala Recipe here…
Dum Aloo – A well-known side dish, Dum Aloo, is one of the most coveted potato curry recipes when it comes to North Indian cooking. One can savor this amazingly lip-smacking dish with hot and crispy puris, chapatis, or parathas.
Paneer Butter Masala – Think of some festivity and great food, and you think of Paneer! This is the magic that it has on all the gourmets out there. Piping hot naan and appetizing paneer butter masala is a must have if you wish to have a wonderful dinner on Karva Chauth!
Aloo Paratha – Imagine this: Sizzling hot aloo parathas coming straight from the kitchen with oodles of butter and fresh curd to give them company! Your husband is surely going to love every single bite of such blissful parathas that have been made with love and affection. Get these parathas ready for the Karva Chauth and have a truly delightful dinner with your loved ones!
Chana Dal Puri – Chana Dal Puri is a traditional and simple recipe made during festivals to add some great flavor to the food platter. These can be served hot with flavorsome dum aloo, vegetable raita and mint (pudina) chutney.
Vegetable Pulao – Are you looking for an easy to make and absolutely healthy dish for this Karva Chauth dinner? If so, then do not miss to add Vegetable Pulao to the menu! Include all the seasonal veggies and create a true delight for the rice lovers.
Feniyan – An essential part of Sargi¸ Feniyan are usually eaten by married women during the early morning before the Karva Chauth fast begins. Delicious and crispy feniyan added to sweetened milk, is surely one of the best ever desserts to be eaten on the day of Karva Chauth.
Kheer – This Indian style pudding is a must have dessert cum sweet which is prepared during Karva Chauth. Add some tasty and flavorful almonds, raisins and cashew nuts to the kheer and leave your family members asking for more.
Rabri – Made up of full cream milk, nuts and saffron, Rabri is a delicious Indian dessert that can be prepared in a jiffy, which makes it a sure shot entry to the list of desserts that you should try on Karva Chauth!
Moong Dal Halwa – Give your taste buds a reason to enjoy the festivities of Karva Chauth by making this mouth-watering dessert. Pour some affection with this halwa that is made in pure ghee and give these winters a super sweet beginning.Find Moong Dal Halwa Recipe here..