However this strict practice to shun food and water for the entire day has been to some extent altered. Further, married women offer prayers to Hindu god and goddess such as Shiva and Parvati. The prayers on the day of Karwa Chauth are offered with the motive of seeking blessings that would enable them to enjoy successful married lives. It is during afternoon that women assemble in neighborhood for a prayer ceremony. They recite very popular Karva Chauth story. On the time of the puja, women wear bright red or pink clothes and stunning jewelry. Once the prayer ceremony is over all the women eagerly wait for moon rise. As soon as moon appears on sky every woman come to their terrace and offer prayers to ensure well being for their husband and family. They offer water to moon 16 times. An elderly woman of the family again recites story of Karwa Chauth. Later, the daughter in laws offer a small painted clay pot or say Auli filled with rice and other things to their mother-in-laws. At the end of these rituals, all women break their fast with a sip of water. There are some unmarried girls also who observe fasts on Karwa Chauth with the hope of getting good husband.
The festival is celebrated nine days before Diwali, or the festival of lights, on the fourth day of the waning moon in the Hindu month of Kartik, around October-November. Married women, old and young, begin their fast on the day of Karva Chauth well before sunrise (around 4 a.m.), and eventually partake of food and water only after spotting the moon, which generally rises at about 8.30 p.m. But this is not to say that it is a solemn day solely symbolic of privation, as a good measure of festivity, rituals and merriment complement its more serious implications. In fact many women do not adhere very strictly to the guidelines laid down for the fast, and while they choose to abstain from food, they drink water, tea and coffee.
(12 Nights/13 Days)