Karwa Chauth 2020, is a popular Hindu festival celebrated predominantly in Northern India, and this year the festival will be celebrated across the country on November 4. The festival is a celebration of marriage, during which the wife fasts for the day as prayer for a healthy and long life for her husband. According to Drik Panchang, Karwa Chauth takes place during the Hindu calendar month of Kartik in the Krishna Paksha Chaturthi phase. Karwa Chauth coincides with another important festival, Sankashti Chaturthi, which is a fasting day in honour of Lord Ganesha. On Karwa Chauth women begin their fast from sunrise and don’t consume even a drop of water, let alone food, until they see the moon. The festival is celebrated differently across the states, but in popular culture and Bollywood we see the culture of women fasting through the day, dressing up and applying henna on their hands, then when the moon rises they see the moon through a sieve and then their husbands through it, then they are fed food and water by their husbands. However, in reality the traditions vary slightly, in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, women pass pots called karvas among themselves, seeing the reflection of the moon in the water or through a sieve, after this they offer water to the moon. The husband then gives water to his wife after which she breaks her fast and eats.
In Andhra Pradesh the festival is celebrated as Atla Tadde, women dress up in traditional clothing, apply henna and sindhoor which symbolises their married status. In other parts of North India, women get together and listen to Karwa Chauth katha.
According to Drik Panchang, the Karwa Chauth puja muhurat is from 5:34 pm to 6:52 pm, and the Karwa Chauth vrat or fast or upavasa time is from 6:35 am to 8:12 pm. On November 4, the moon will rise at 8:12 pm. The Chaurthi Tithi will start at 3:24 am on November 4 and end at 5:14 am on November 5.