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If you have seen women (or even men) fasting on Karwa Chauth, you know how difficult it is to follow the rituals. From getting up in the wee hours to consume Sargi before sunrise to many abstaining from eating and drinking anything until moonsighting, it is believed to be one of the most difficult fasts.
After sargi, another crucial thali prepared for Karwa Chauth is the Karwa (or Karva). It’s a sacred puja thali that is used while performing rituals after sighting the moon. If you have been fasting for a long time, you know how the Karwa looks, but if this is the first time you will be observing the fast, this article will help you.
Dry Fruits
Dry fruits are small and packed with energy and nutrients. They are a sign of prosperity, and hence, added to Karwa. After fasting throughout the day, it is not easy for people to start gulping one dish after the other. Dry fruits, on the other hand, can be consumed in small quantities and instantly give a boost of energy to the body.
Fruits
Fruits are hydrating, refreshing, and refilling the body with the lost energy. Hence, fresh produce like apples, bananas, pomegranates, and more are a part of Karwa. They can uplift the mood, and initially, work your appetite. Fruits can help you catch a breath and put all the uneasiness and anxiety at rest.
Glass Of Water
As a part of the Karwa Chauth puja ritual, water is offered to the Moon God first. Later, people drink it to break the fast. It is the first thing that women (and men who fast) put in their bodies after abstaining from food and water throughout the day. Like Geet said in ‘Jab We Met’, “paani ka kaam paani he karta hai (only water can quench your thirst).”
Sweets
After drinking water, husbands and wives offer each other a piece of sweet. The sugar energises the body and refills the depleted levels of glucose. It is said that one must not only drink water after fasting for long hours. You can add kaju katli, gulb jamun, ladoo, or any of your favourite sweets to the Karwa Chauth puja thali.
Curd
Curd is a part of Sargi platter but many people add it to the Karwa. Curd with sugar acts as a sweet element in the midst of everything sacred. It is hydrating and full of essential nutrients that replenish the body and offer respite after an entire day of fasting.
Cooked Food
Depending on the rituals that various communities follow across India, some people also add cooked food as a part of Karwa. They first offer it to the Moon God, and later take a small bite. It could be puri, paratha, sbazi, halwa, etc.
Apart from food items, a sieve, ghee lamp, flowers, incense sticks, sindoor, katha book, rice grains, and a few more things are also a part of the puja thali.
