Overview
Karva Chauth, also spelt Karwa Chauth and known in Sanskrit as Karaka Chaturthi (करकचतुर्थी), is a Hindu festival observed by women in Nepal, Northern India and Western India. It falls in the lunisolar month of Kartika, corresponding to October or November in the Gregorian calendar, on the fourth day of the waning phase of the moon (Krishna Paksha).
On this day, women traditionally observe a fast from sunrise to moonrise, praying for the safety and longevity of their husbands. The fast is broken after the moon is sighted in the evening, typically following customary rituals associated with the festival.
The observance is most prominent in Nepal and in the Indian states and regions of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Jammu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. It is also observed by Hindu communities in Fiji. In Andhra Pradesh, a related observance is celebrated as Atla Tadde.
Like many Hindu festivals, Karva Chauth is based on a lunisolar variant of the Hindu calendars, and the date therefore shifts each year within the month of Kartika.