Firsts are always special. Celebrating a festival for the first time is an exciting prospect for young couples, regardless of how big or small the celebration is. And the city’s newly-married couples are all set to celebrate their bonding. Married women in the city will be dressing up in finery for the festival of Karvachauth on October 30, a day-long tradition of fasting from sunrise to moonrise for the longevity of their husbands.
The first Karvachauth for a married woman is exciting, since everything is new. A personal trainer, virtual fitness consultant and IT professional at Accenture, Neera Sood says, “I’m a Punjabi married to Varun Rao, a South-Indian. We begin the day by wearing a traditional Indian sari or lehenga and must finish eating a full meal before sunrise and fast till we see the moon.
Post sunrise, we can’t drink any water or eat food till the moon rises. Usually, we prepare one sweet as the prasad. I will make a sweet poori, but this could differ from family to family. The fast is broken with a prayer chanted seven times only at moonrise. Exhaustion kicks in towards the evening, but the purpose to pray for your partner’s long life and well being will keep me motivated till I spot the moon. I’ve seen some of my friend’s partners joining their wives in on the tradition of fasting and prayer.”
Hailing from a Gujarati family, Vaibhavi Saran is married to Vishvan Saran, an entrepreneur, who is half Punjabi, half UP. She loves it as its double whammy for her. Observing the fast for the first time this week, the newly wedded bride who tied the knot this year shares, “I will get up at 4 am and my mother-in-law will give me sargi. We will both sip on some tea and have aloo parathas before sunrise. Since it’s my first Karvachauth, she will give me permission to have water or juice once after the puja in the evening. Once she says that, it allows me to continue the tradition of having a glass of water or tea for every Karvachauth. After we sight the moon, we will do a puja and our husbands will tell us the traditional tale that describes why we celebrate this festival and we break our fast. Since I’m newly married, my husband will be giving me a big gift. Also since it’s my first time, I’m supposed to wear my wedding lehenga, but I plan to wear a new saree.”
But for Sahil Singh, an IT professional settled in Bengaluru it’s going to be a day of fasting for his wife Saloni Singh, HR head with Affine analytics. He reveals, “I always shower her with gifts and have planned a sweet surprise for Karvachauth. I’m also planning to fast with her, but I will be on a liquid diet and will drink some juices, while she will not even drink any water till we sight the moon at night.”
