Sun Oct 20 04:40:00 UTC 2024: **Karwa Chauth 2024 Summary:**
1. **Significance**: Karwa Chauth is an important fast observed by married Hindu women for the long life and well-being of their husbands. It is celebrated on the fourth day of the Krishna Paksha in the Kartik month.
2. **Date**: This year, Karwa Chauth falls on October 20, 2024.
3. **Rituals**: Women perform a rigorous fast from sunrise until they see the moon in the evening. They only break their fast after performing a puja and sighting the moon.
4. **Moonrise Times in Various Cities**:
– Delhi: 7:53 PM
– Mumbai: 8:36 PM
– Kolkata: 7:22 PM
– Bangalore: 8:30 PM
– Chennai: 8:18 PM
– Other cities have listed timings as well.
5. **Shubh Muhurat**: The auspicious muhurat for puja includes:
– Abhijit Muhurat: 11:43 AM – 12:28 PM
– Vijay Muhurat: 1:59 PM – 2:45 PM
– Chandrodaya: 7:54 PM
6. **Ritual Requirements**: Essentials for the puja include a karwa (pot), diya (lamp), sieve, water pot, sindoor (vermilion), sweets, rice, and a book for the Karwa Chauth story.
7. **Mythological Background**: The festival is rooted in the legend of Devi Karwa, who saved her husband from a crocodile by binding it with a thread. When Yama (the god of death) refused to save her husband, Karwa’s anger led him to grant her husband a boon, which established the tradition of praying for husband’s longevity during this festival.
8. **Savitri’s Legend**: The tradition is also connected to the story of Savitri, who saved her husband from Yama using a similar act of love and devotion.
This festival highlights the devotion of married women towards their husbands and reinforces the cultural significance of marriage in Hindu traditions.
First Piper 