Karva Chauth is today: What the fast means, the sieve ritual and moonrise in Dubai

Dubai: If you spot women in bright traditional outfits and fresh mehndi this evening, waiting on balconies and rooftops with a sieve in hand, it is Karva Chauth.

The festival falls today, Thursday, October 29. Married Hindu women, mostly from North India, are fasting from sunrise until the moon rises tonight, praying for the long life and wellbeing of their husbands.

Here is what the day means, how it is observed and when the moon will rise in the UAE.

The name comes from two words. Karva, also spelt karwa or karak, is an earthen pot, and chauth means fourth.

According to Drik Panchang, the fast is observed on the fourth day of the waning moon, Krishna Paksha Chaturthi, in the Hindu month of Kartik. The karva is the pot used to offer water to the moon, and it is also given as a gift during the rituals. The day is also known as Karak Chaturthi.

It falls 10 days before Diwali, which is on Sunday, November 8 this year.

Karva Chauth is mainly observed in North India, in states such as Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. A similar fast, Atla Tadde, is observed by married women in Andhra Pradesh.

The Karva Chauth fast is strict. It is nirjala, meaning women go without food and water from sunrise until they have seen the moon at night.

The day starts before dawn with sargi, a pre-dawn meal, traditionally prepared by the mother-in-law. It often includes fruit, dry fruits, sweets and savoury dishes to see the fasting woman through the day.

"The day starts with eating sargi or a pre-dawn meal," Sweety Burman told Gulf News in 2021. "After getting a glimpse of the moon through a Karwa Chauth Channi or sieve at night, women finally break their fast."

Women dress up for the occasion, often in red or bridal wear, and wear the solah shringar, the 16 traditional adornments of a married woman, including mehndi, bangles and sindoor.

In the evening, women gather in groups for the puja, worshipping Chauth Mata, Lord Shiva and his family, including Lord Ganesha. They sit in a circle, pass their decorated puja thalis around and listen to the vrat katha, the story behind the fast.

The best-known story told on Karva Chauth is that of Veeravati, a queen and the only sister of seven brothers.

In the most popular version, she observed her first Karva Chauth fast at her parents' home. As the day went on, she grew weak with hunger and thirst. Unable to watch her suffer, her brothers created the illusion of the moon rising, and she broke her fast.

Soon after, she received news that her husband had died. Heartbroken, she learnt that she had been tricked, and through her devotion and a renewed fast, her husband was brought back to life.

Women look at the moon through a sieve, often with a lit diya on their thali, and offer water to it from the karva. They then look at their husband's face through the same sieve.