Karwa Chauth (Hindi: करवा चौथ) is an one-day festival celebrated by Hindu women in North India in which married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for the safety and longevity of their husbands. The fast is observed in the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, western Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The festival falls on the fourth day after the full moon, in the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Kartik. Sometimes, unmarried women observe the fast for their fiancés or desired husbands. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karva_Chauth)
This festival comes 9 days before Diwali on 'kartik ki chauth', i.e., on
the fourth day of the new moon immediately after Dusshera, in the month
of 'Karthik' (October-November).
The fast of Karwa Chawth truly sets the merry tone of the fun and
frolic, festivity and feasting that come in good measure during Diwali — the biggest festival of the Hindus. (22nd
October 2013, Tuesday)
Moon in Rig Veda: The hymn 10.85 of Rig Veda is about the marriage of Sun (sūryā) with Moon (soma).
This hymn is important because it throws light on quite a few real
things about the lives and thoughts of the people who composed The Rig
Veda. The personification of Sun and Moon as the bride and the
bridegroom may have more of poetic significance, but the detailed
description of the marriage ceremony may not be a thing of imagination
or poetic license. After her marriage in her own house Surya goes to
the groom's house in an elaborate procession (vahatu). She is wearing a
wonderful dress. She has put kajal on her eyes.
Accompanying her in the
bridal procession is her close friend Raibhi and the Ashwin twins -
from the groom's side. Still now in India most Hindu marriages happen in
the same way as is described in this hymn.
The following verses describe as Surya's chariot as gold hued - hiraṇyavarṇaṃ, strong wheeled - suvṛtaṃ, fast rolling - sucakram, colorful - viśvarūpaṃ and decked with Kimshuka and Salmali flowers. A later verse describes Surya's chariot as spirited - manasmaya.
The following verses also have an indirect reference to the beginning of a new year at the time of Surya's marriage.
navo-navo bhavati jāyamāno ahnāṃ ketur uṣasām eti agram |
bhāghaṃ devebhyo vi dadhātyāyan pra candramās tirate dīrgham ayuḥ || 10.85.19
sukiṃśukaṃ śalmaliṃ viśvarūpaṃ hiraṇyavarṇaṃ suvṛtaṃ sucakram |
ā roha sūrye amṛtasya lokaṃ syonaṃ patye vahatuṃ kṛṇuṣva || 10.85.20
He, born afresh, is new and new for ever ensign of days he goes before the Mornings
Coming, he orders f6r the Gods their portion. The Moon prolongs the days of our existence. 10.85.19
Mount this, all-shaped, gold-hued, with strong wheels, fashioned of Kimsuka and Salmali, light-rolling,
Bound for the world of life immortal, Sūrya: make for thy lord a happy bridal journey. 10.85.20
The Moon is referred to as born afresh and new forever, navo-navo bhavati jāyamāno - a direct reference to the fact that the moon is born afresh every time there's a New Moon.
The Moon is also referred to as ahnāṃ ketu -
the ensign or the leader of days. A leader carries the ensign or the
flag and marches ahead and all his people follow him. So an ensign of
the days may refer to first of the days or rather the beginning of the
year. In the same verse it's mentioned that the Moon prolongs the days -
which may refer to the longer days of summer. So the complete verse may
refer to a beginning of year in the summer. (http://indigyan.blogspot.in/2011/03/suryas-bridal-rig-veda.html)
Moon Lore
Many Moons: The Moon
is a timekeeper, and the luminary that takes over when the Sun sets.
In ancient Egypt, this
Sun-Moon switchover was embodied by the Sun god
Ra and the Moon god Thoth. When the Sun god Ra journeyed into the
underworld at night, Thoth took over until Sunrise. In even earlier, pre-historic times, the count of lunar months, and a
lunar calendar, was in use across many cultures. The oldest artifacts
show lunar markings on animal bone and carved into cave walls. The
Native American elder might say he’s been around for Many Moons. In Japan, there’s a Moon-god called Tsuki-Yomi, which comes from Japanese words that mean moon and counter.
The Moon is not always feminine in myth, but because of the synching with women's cycles, Luna is often referred to as a She.
She's Grandmother Moon to many indigenous cultures, the reminder to
strip away what society puts on you during the day. In ancient Greece
and Rome, she was Artemis
and Diana (respectively), both archetypes of female strength and
creative power. She's also been paired with the Sun, as Moon maiden or
Lady of the Night, to the Sun's kingly dominion over daytime.
Some cultures looked to the silvery orb as the heavenly home, where all souls go. The water sign
of emotional origins and women, Cancer, is linked to the Moon. And for
the Sumerians (in the area of Mesopotamia), this constellation was the
gateway through which souls came down from the stars, to find their
place on Earth. In contrast to the harsh Sun, the cool reflective Moon
is a comforting, seductive presence. It's the fastest moving entity
with a pull so strong it creates bulges in the ocean's waters. (http://astrology.about.com/od/themoon/a/Introduction-To-The-Moon.htm)
Lunar Goddess
- Women made fertility offerings to the virgin huntress Artemis,
later the Roman Diana, to attract the virile male, and to ensure
fertility and safety in childbirth.
(http://astrology.about.com/od/themoon/a/Introduction-To-The-Moon.htm)
Moon and Mother
- Some ancient traditional cultures saw the Moon as the source of
life, and the Moon was deeply intermingled with women’s cycles and the
ability to shape-shift and to create new life.
The Moon myths of the Moon convey its influence on all of nature, including the human fertility cycle.
#Karwa Chauth festival pictures: Sharad Pathak family of Lucknow, India, on 22nd
October 2013, Tuesday
#Copyright of above pictures strictly reserved.
#text thankfully consulted & shared from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karva_Chauth
http://indigyan.blogspot.in/2011/03/suryas-bridal-rig-veda.html
http://astrology.about.com/od/themoon/a/Introduction-To-The-Moon.htm
