Karwa Chauth 2024 will be celebrated on the 20th of October. The time-honoured tradition has been one of the primary festivals celebrated by married wives. Annually, as per the deep-rooted culture, wives fast for their husband’s long and healthy life. While traditionally women used to observe a fast, evolving time, husbands have made an inspiring shift, thus breaking the stereotype. Attempting to symbolise mutual love and respect for their wives, many husbands across the world also fast alongside their wives. To bring you some heartfelt stories, Slurrp interviewed men who celebrate Karwa Chauth with the same excitement and devotion as their wives.
The Essence Of Karva Chauth
For many men, Karwa Chauth was a day where they would watch their wives go through the rituals of fasting, praying, and waiting for the moonrise. However, as societal roles evolve, many men have begun to see this ritual as a chance to express their own commitment.
Dr Anshul Johar, a 52-year-old dental surgeon reflects, “Fasting on Karwa Chauth festival is an important tradition followed by my family members with full devotion and fervour, celebrated since my childhood. My Mom would keep a fast the whole day, without taking a drop of water or any bit to eat. I loved to get up early in the morning, around 5 am that day, to eat some ‘Sargi’, which my Mom ate. The most delicious item out of the ‘Sargi’ items is ‘Fenia’, which is thin vermicelli cooked in milk. Fenia has been my favourite since then. Though it was a rare occasion for the family to sit together and eat something at this early hour, I love it even today. Though only my Mom used to fast that day, but it had been a collective family affair in terms of taking care of her, not letting her get up to work, and keeping the environment clean and cool during the day, to help keep her thirst off. So, the full family celebrated this fast.”
Samaresh Acharya, a 52-year-old journalist shares, “Two years into my marriage, I was deeply moved by seeing my wife observe the 'nirjala upwas' (a fast without water). To share her experience and support her, I decided to keep the fast as well, though not as rigorously as her ‘nirjala’ fast.”
Adding to it, Parvesh Kumar, the hub head of Uncademy says, “It has been twenty years since my wife, Aarti Sehgal and I have been fasting for each other on Karwa Chauth. Our first fast was back in 2004, and being a man, I find it difficult to express. So, fasting on Karwa Chauth is one my favourite gestures to express my commitment, love, and respect for my wife.”
Traditions Followed On Karwa Chauth
Parvesh Kumar shares, “I follow the same rituals and traditions as my wife to celebrate Karwa Chauth. Be it waking up early in the morning for Sargi, not drinking water, or waiting for the Moon to rise, we love the festival. One of my favourite parts of Karwa Chauth is pestering my wife to dress in traditional wear, which makes the long fast worth it.”
Samaresh also adds, “I follow the key rituals of Karwa Chauth, though not every single one. For me, it’s important to respect the essence of the tradition. I genuinely enjoy the entire Karwa Chauth process, with breaking the fast after moonrise being the most special part for me.”
“Apart from eating Sargi at 5 am, I love to go to the rooftop along with my wife and mother, when they extend prayers after offering water to the Moon while looking at it through a sieve. This activity is a symbolic one, reflecting the intention of the female to revere her hubby’s personality, ignoring his imperfections. I often click pictures when they are performing this interesting fast-breaking activity,” says Anshul Johar.
Sargi And After Fast Feast
“As an Odia Brahmin, we don’t traditionally celebrate Karwa Chauth in Odisha. Instead, we have Savitri Puja. However, since my wife is Marwari, I take part in Karwa Chauth out of love and respect for her culture. While we don’t strictly follow the 'Sargi' tradition like Punjabis, we earnestly follow the fast-breaking rituals, such as seeing the moon, drinking water, eating puyes (a sweet), and finally indulging in a hearty meal after a long fast,” tells Samaresh.
Anshul reflects, “Eating Sargi with the family sitting at a table encourages and motivates the fasting female for the whole day. Also, the fast-breaking is interesting as she offers a small ‘Matthi’ first to her husband, even before herself having the same. This encourages the cosy familial ties to become stronger and conveys a message of affectionate bonding among the family members. After the fast, we have a staple menu – dal, rice, aloo sabzi, with pipping hot jalebi.”
“For Sargi, we have the traditional parathas with aloo sabzi. I also add some coconut, pomegranate, and feniya to the morning of Karwa Chauth. We don’t cook after keeping the long Karwa Chauth fast. My family and I usually go out to a nice restaurant with my family. Every year we try something new for the after-fast feast, be it pizza or North Indian,” adds Parvesh.