a vector image with four women in indian saree celebrating karwa chauth festivala vector image with four women in indian saree celebrating karwa chauth festival

This post shares Karwa Chauth recipes, Karwa Chauth vrat vidhi or procedure and Karwa Chauth rituals like sargi, baya, group pooja, song and how we break karwa chauth fast in our family.

a vector image with four women in indian saree celebrating karwa chauth festivala vector image with four women in indian saree celebrating karwa chauth festival

Karwa Chauth is on 4th November 2020. I am sharing this Karwa Chauth recipes collection so that it is easier for you to decide your menu in advance. Please don’t add onions and garlic in any recipe which you make because they are not allowed during Karwa Chauth vrat. So skip adding them, onion and garlic.

Karwa Chauth Vrat 

Karwa Chauth vrat is kept by women in North India for the health, well being, prosperity and long life of their husband.

The word Karwa means diya (small earthen lamp). Karwa also means a pitcher or pot and Chauth means fourth. Since it falls on the 4th day after the full moon in the kartik month.

The day begins at dawn and in my family we have Gobi paratha or Aloo paratha with Raita and a sweet dish like Sooji halwa or Vermicelli kheer or Feni. 

Sometimes we have Chaat recipes. If not Paratha than we have Aloo Gobi with phulkas.

All these delicious food are consumed before sunrise or better to say when the stars are still there in the sky (taaron ki chaaon main).

I also have tea and then lots of water too because the whole day goes in Karwa Chauth vrat or fasting without eating anything and even drinking water.

After the Karwa Chauth rituals and pooja are over during the day we wait for the moon to come up. It is customary that the sky will be cloudy and moon will come very late.

After waiting and waiting – finally we get to see the moon through a sieve and offering water to the moon we seek its blessings.

The wives are given the first sip of water and the first morsel of food – usually Mathri by their husbands. (The whole Karwa Chauth vrat vidhi and guidelines are given below in the post after the recipes section).

At home we usually have a dinner of Rajma masala or Punjabi  chana or Dal makhani or Mah ki dal with rice or roti and some veggie dish. This is how we celebrate Karwa Chauth in our home.

Plan your Karwa Chauth menu in advance. So your whole day goes smooth and hassle free. Eg: You can make the Chutney a day before. Also mathri can be made a day or two before. 

Enjoy making the recipes and having them so that you are able to fast for the whole day.

Karwa Chauth Recipes

I am sharing recipes that you can make for dinner (after breaking your vrat) and the recipes that are included in the sargi. The dishes that make up the sargi platter is had before taking the fast.

Kindly note that some of the recipes listed below have onion and garlic in them as I did not make them on the occasion of Karwa Chauth but on some regular days.

If making these recipes on Karwa Chauth, then do omit the onions and garlic from them. You can add a pinch of asafoetida (hing) in the dish to mimic the flavors of onion and garlic.

You can also check this category of No Onion No Garlic Recipes.

Sargi

Sargi is the meal which is had before dawn and before taking up the karwa chauth fast. In this section you will find the breakfast dishes that can be made easily.

I have also added some sweets recipes. You can prep some of the dishes a day before and refrigerate them. The sweets can also be made a day before and refrigerated.

Breakfast & Snacks

gobi paratha recipe, gobhi paratha recipegobi paratha recipe, gobhi paratha recipe

50 mins

Cauliflower paratha is unleavened whole wheat flatbread stuffed with a spiced grated cauliflower filling. Gobi ka paratha is often made for breakfast in Punjabi homes as well as served in restaurants and Punjabi dhabas.

aloo paratha recipealoo paratha recipe

50 mins

Punjabi aloo ka paratha is a popular Indian breakfast of unleavened whole wheat flatbread stuffed with a spiced potato stuffing.

paneer paratha recipepaneer paratha recipe

45 mins

Paneer paratha is an Indian flatbread made with whole wheat flour and cottage cheese stuffing. It is a popular breakfast recipe in Punjabi homes.

methi thepla, gujarati methi thepla, methi thepla recipemethi thepla, gujarati methi thepla, methi thepla recipe

1 hr

Methi thepla is a flatbread and a popular Gujarati snack. Methi thepla is made from fresh fenugreek leaves and whole-grain flours thereby making these a healthy breakfast or snack option.

aloo gobi recipe, aloo gobi dry recipealoo gobi recipe, aloo gobi dry recipe

55 mins

This is an easy, simple and delicious homely aloo gobi ki sabji.

aloo gajar matar recipe, dry gajar aloo matar recipealoo gajar matar recipe, dry gajar aloo matar recipe

30 mins

Aloo gajar matar is a quick and easy dry curry made with potatoes, carrots and peas. No onion no garlic dry gajar aloo matar.

jeera aloo recipe, aloo jeera recipejeera aloo recipe, aloo jeera recipe

27 mins

Potatoes spiced with cumin and herbs.

gajar matar recipegajar matar recipe

30 mins

Gajar matar sabzi recipe – delicious dry sauted carrots and fresh green peas.

dahi puri recipe, dahi batata puri chaat recipedahi puri recipe, dahi batata puri chaat recipe

1 hr

Dahi puri also known as dahi batata puri is a delicious, yummy, chatpata chaat snack from Mumbai. It is sweet, sour, tangy, spicy and crispy chaat.

sev puri recipesev puri recipe

1 hr

Sev puri is a spicy, sweet and tangy street snack from Mumbai.

40 mins

Aloo tikki is a popular North Indian snack of spiced, crisp potato patties.

papdi chaat recipe, papri chaat recipepapdi chaat recipe, papri chaat recipe

50 mins

Papdi chaat is a popular North Indian street food made with papdi, boiled chickpeas, potatoes, pakori and curd

aloo chana chaat recipealoo chana chaat recipe

30 mins

Aloo chana chaat is a spicy, tangy, sweet chaat made with boiled potatoes and white chickpeas.

Sabudana Vada Recipe, Sago Vada RecipeSabudana Vada Recipe, Sago Vada Recipe

5 hrs 30 mins

Sabudana Vada are crisp fried patties made with tapioca pearls, peanuts and mashed potatoes. They are slightly sweet and spiced to taste.

veg cutlet recipe, veg patties recipe, vegetable cutlet recipeveg cutlet recipe, veg patties recipe, vegetable cutlet recipe

45 mins

These are crisp and tasty veg cutlet made with mixed vegetables. These vegan patties are a good tea time snack.

farali pattice recipefarali pattice recipe

1 hr

Farali patties recipe – crisp potato patties stuffed with a sweet-tangy coconut-dry fruits stuffing. A popular Gujarati snack that is made during fasting.

green chutney recipe for chaat recipesgreen chutney recipe for chaat recipes

15 mins

Green chutney for chaat snacks recipes

imli chutney recipe, sweet chutney recipe, sweet tamarind chutney recipeimli chutney recipe, sweet chutney recipe, sweet tamarind chutney recipe

Easy
4 hrs 12 mins

Tamarind Chutney or Imli chutney is a sweet and tangy chutney made with tamarind, jaggery and ginger powder. It is also known as saunth chutney.

Sweets

suji halwa recipesuji halwa recipe

Easy
15 mins

Suji ka halwa or Sheera is a classic Indian semolina pudding made with sugar, ghee and dry fruits. The recipe I have shared is a family heirloom recipe. We have been making this suji halwa recipe for decades during family get togethers, special occasions & festivals. The sooji halwa recipe can be easily halved, doubled or tripled.

meethi seviyan recipe, sweet vermicelli recipe, dry seviyan recipemeethi seviyan recipe, sweet vermicelli recipe, dry seviyan recipe

25 mins

Meethi seviyan is a sweet dessert made from whole wheat vermicelli, ghee, milk, sugar and dry fruits.

gulgule recipegulgule recipe

Easy
25 mins

Gulgule are crispy, soft fried Indian doughnuts made with whole wheat flour, banana, sugar or jaggery and fennel seeds. A North Indian special sweet.

vermicelli kheer recipe, seviyan kheer recipe, semiya kheer recipevermicelli kheer recipe, seviyan kheer recipe, semiya kheer recipe

20 mins

Vermicelli kheer also known as seviyan kheer or semiya kheer is often served during festival or any occasion of celebration.

rice kheer reciperice kheer recipe

Easy
50 mins

Rice kheer is a popular Indian sweet dessert made with basmati rice, milk, nuts and saffron. Rice kheer is easy to make and is made with a one pan or one pot method. Rice kheer is basically Indian rice pudding and makes for a creamy delicious pudding. 

besan ke laddu, besan ladoobesan ke laddu, besan ladoo

Moderate
30 mins

Besan Ladoo is a popular ladoo made from gram flour, powdered sugar and clarified butter (ghee).

rava ladoo in a circle with lit earthern lamp in center on a bronze platerava ladoo in a circle with lit earthern lamp in center on a bronze plate

Easy
30 mins

An easy method to make rava laddu recipe for Diwali or any festival. This rava ladoo recipe is made with rava (sooji or semolina), coconut, powdered sugar, dry fruits and ghee.

coconut ladoo recipecoconut ladoo recipe

15 mins

This recipe post two easy coconut ladoo recipes. The first coconut ladoo is a quick 3 ingredient recipe made with fresh coconut, condensed milk and cardamom powder. The second recipe is made with desiccated coconut powder and sugar.

carrot halwa recipecarrot halwa recipe

1 hr 40 mins

This is a traditional slow-cooked recipe of making delicious carrot halwa with just carrots, full fat milk, ghee, sugar and some dry fruits.

peda recipe, milk peda recipe, doodh peda recipe, how to make peda recipepeda recipe, milk peda recipe, doodh peda recipe, how to make peda recipe

15 mins

This doodh peda recipe is made with khoya and taste too good. Peda is one of the popular Indian sweets.

atta ladoo recipe, wheat ladoo recipeatta ladoo recipe, wheat ladoo recipe

15 mins

These wheat ladoo make for a good sweet snack for kids as well as for the whole family.  easy and quick to prepare delicious ladoo made with whole wheat flour, sugar and ghee.

30 mins

Phirni is a classic creamy sweet pudding made with powdered rice, milk, almonds, saffron and cardamom. Sweetened with sugar.

dry fruits ladoo recipedry fruits ladoo recipe

20 mins

Dry fruits ladoo recipe – no sugar, no fat ladoos made with dry fruits. 

apple halwa recipeapple halwa recipe

45 mins

Apple halwa recipe made with apples, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Apple halwa is a delicious halwa that is easy to make. This apple halwa recipe does not use sooji (rava), milk, khoya or milk powder. Just apples, sugar (optional) and ghee. Flavorings and nuts of your choice can be added in the apple halwa. 

badam kheer recipebadam kheer recipe

50 mins

Badam kheer or almond payasam is a delicious creamy kheer made with blanched almond paste, milk and saffron.

sheer khurma recipe, sheer korma recipesheer khurma recipe, sheer korma recipe

28 mins

Sheer khurma is a rich sweet dessert made with vermicelli, milk, dates, dry fruits and ghee. ‘sheer’ stands for milk and ‘khurma’ stands for dates in persian language.

Dinner

Included in this section is food that you can have after breaking the fast. I have listed mostly Punjabi recipes and the ones which we make in our family.

You will also find some starters and appetizers in this section. You can serve the dal or the curries with roti or steamed rice. Pulao can be served with raita or a side salad.

Lentils & Beans

dal makhani recipedal makhani recipe

Easy
9 hrs

This Dal Makhani recipe is a restaurant style version with subtle smoky flavors and creaminess of the lentils. Dal Makhani is one of the most popular lentil recipes from the North Indian cuisine made with whole urad dal (black gram) and kidney beans.

rajma masala garnished with a few kasuri methi and served in a white bowl on a brown wooden boardrajma masala garnished with a few kasuri methi and served in a white bowl on a brown wooden board

Easy
9 hrs 45 mins

This Rajma recipe is a creamy, tangy and spiced curry made with dried kidney beans. This restaurant style Rajma Masala is made in a base of sautéed onions, tomatoes, spices and cream making it truly delicious.

chana dal recipe, punjabi chana dal fry recipechana dal recipe, punjabi chana dal fry recipe

Easy
30 mins

This chana dal fry is Punjabi style recipe of bengal gram lentils tempered & flavored with spices.

dal tadka garnished with cilantro and a topped with fried red chilli with some fried cumin and some red colored oil in a small brass bucket on a light brown jute matdal tadka garnished with cilantro and a topped with fried red chilli with some fried cumin and some red colored oil in a small brass bucket on a light brown jute mat

Easy
30 mins

This restaurant style dal tadka is a smooth and creamy dal tempered with Indian spices with a smoky charcoal flavor.

amritsari chole recipeamritsari chole recipe

8 hrs 45 mins

Amritsari chole masala is white chickpeas curry made in Punjabi style.

amritsari dal recipe, langarwali dal recipeamritsari dal recipe, langarwali dal recipe

4 hrs 45 mins

This amritsari dal is simple and tasty Punjabi dal made with whole black gram and split chickpea (chana dal).

maa ki dal recipe, kali dal recipe, black gram dal recipe, sabut urad dal recipemaa ki dal recipe, kali dal recipe, black gram dal recipe, sabut urad dal recipe

1 hr

Black gram dal or kali dal or maa ki dal is a popular and delicious Punjabi dal recipe made with sabut urad dal.

Vegetarian Gravies & Curries

paneer butter masala served in a blue rimmed white pan, garnished with cream and cilantropaneer butter masala served in a blue rimmed white pan, garnished with cream and cilantro

Easy
40 mins

Paneer Butter Masala is one of India’s most popular paneer recipe. This recipe with Indian cottage cheese cubes in a creamy tomato sauce is a best one that I have been making for a long time.

palak paneer topped with cream, garnished with ginger julienne and served in an orange bowl on a white boardpalak paneer topped with cream, garnished with ginger julienne and served in an orange bowl on a white board

Easy
40 mins

Palak Paneer that is delicious, smooth and creamy. This easy palak paneer recipe is made with fresh spinach leaves, paneer, onions, tomatoes, herbs and spices.

shahi paneer topped with some saffron strands and served in a white bowl with a spoonshahi paneer topped with some saffron strands and served in a white bowl with a spoon

Easy
40 mins

This Shahi Paneer is deliciously rich and creamy, making it one of the most popular recipes in Mughlai cuisine.

veg kurma recipe, vegetable kurma recipeveg kurma recipe, vegetable kurma recipe

Moderate
1 hr

Delicious South Indian style vegetarian kurma recipe made with mixed veggies, coconut, green chillies, spices and herbs.

veg kadaiveg kadai

1 hr 20 mins

Restaurant style Punjabi kadai vegetable curry.

matar paneer recipe, mutter paneer recipematar paneer recipe, mutter paneer recipe

30 mins

Matar paneer is a spiced and creamy curry made with peas and cottage cheese.

navratan korma recipenavratan korma recipe

1 hr 10 mins

Navratan korma is a rich aromatic vegetable curry made with nine ingredients.

30 mins

This Punjabi style aloo matar is a simple and home style recipe of Punjabi peas and potatoes curry.

pav bhaji recipepav bhaji recipe

Easy
40 mins

Pav bhaji is a popular street food from Mumbai consisting of spiced smooth mashed mix vegetables, served with lightly toasted buttered bread.

methi matar malai recipemethi matar malai recipe

30 mins

Methi matar malai is a delicious North Indian curry made with fenugreek leaves, peas and cream.

aloo puri recipealoo puri recipe

1 hr 15 mins

This aloo puri is a traditional Punjabi spiced potato curry served with pooris.

Pulao & Rice Recipes

jeera rice recipejeera rice recipe

55 mins

Give a makeover to the simple steamed rice by adding cumin (jeera) and some fragrant spices. This restaurant style cumin rice recipe is mildly spiced, fragrant and tastes too good. Recipe post shares two methods of making jeera rice. Choose the recipe method that suits you. 

pulao recipepulao recipe

Easy
40 mins

Trying to get more vegetables in your diet? Try this vegetarian one pot meal of pulao. Use the vegetables that you like most, like peas, potatoes, and green beans. Make this simple veg pulao that packs a punch of flavor!

khichdi recipekhichdi recipe

40 mins

Moong dal khichdi is delicious one pot meal of rice and moong lentils. Khichdi is light and easy to digest meal.

peas pulao recipe, matar pulaopeas pulao recipe, matar pulao

25 mins

Aromatic and tasty one pot peas pulao from the Punjabi cuisine made with green peas, rice, onions and spices.

kashmiri pulao recipekashmiri pulao recipe

45 mins

Kashmiri pulao is aromatic, mild and faintly sweet in taste.

lemon rice recipelemon rice recipe

25 mins

Lemon rice is a crunchy, flavorful and sour rice recipe from South India.

paneer pulao recipepaneer pulao recipe

50 mins

This is a fragrant and lightly spiced paneer pulao made with freshly ground pulao masala which really brings in a lot of flavor and aroma in the recipe. 

mushroom pulao recipemushroom pulao recipe

50 mins

This is a mild, flavorful mushroom pulao recipe made with coconut milk.

rajma pulao recipe, rajma ricerajma pulao recipe, rajma rice

9 hrs 35 mins

Aromatic spiced rice pulao made with kidney beans, herbs and spices.

Indian Breads

roti recipe, phulka reciperoti recipe, phulka recipe

40 mins

Method to make roti or phulka from whole wheat flour.

paratha recipe, plain paratha recipeparatha recipe, plain paratha recipe

1 hr 5 mins

Crisp as well as soft unleavened whole wheat flat Indian bread. Plain paratha are popular breakfast or tiffin recipe that can be served with pickle or any side veggie dish.

naan recipenaan recipe

2 hrs 50 mins

Easy naan bread recipe without yeast on tawa or stovetop – soft, chewy and delicious naan bread made on stove-top and on a griddle.

poori recipepoori recipe

40 mins

Crisp, golden and soft poori made with whole wheat flour, salt and water.

kulcha recipekulcha recipe

2 hrs 45 mins

Kulcha is a popular soft leavened North Indian flatbread. they can be made in the tandoor as well as on a tava or griddle.

tandoori roti recipe, butter roti recipetandoori roti recipe, butter roti recipe

1 hr 5 mins

These tandoori roti are soft, chewy and slightly charred butter roti made on stovetop or tava.

rumali roti reciperumali roti recipe

1 hr

Rumali roti is one of the unleavened Indian breads that is made traditionally in the Awadhi, Mughlai and Hyderabadi cuisine. Rumali roti are thin soft rotis and can be folded like a handkerchief. Hence the name rumali or roomali roti. The word ‘rumal’ means handkerchief in hindi language.

Starters Snacks & Soups

hara bhara kabab recipehara bhara kabab recipe

50 mins

Hara bhara kebab recipe is a delicious variation of vegetarian kabab. it is made with fresh spinach leaves, green peas and potatoes. So they are nutritious as well as delicious. Hara bhara kabab makes for a good Indian starter or snack. This green veg kabab can also be stuffed in burger buns or sandwiches can be made from them. 

paneer tikkapaneer tikka

2 hrs 30 mins

This Restaurant Style Paneer Tikka is a popular and delicious tandoori snack where paneer (Indian cottage cheese cubes) are marinated in a spiced yogurt-based marinade, arranged on skewers and grilled in the oven.

chilli paneer, chilli paneer restaurant stylechilli paneer, chilli paneer restaurant style

Moderate
30 mins

Chilli paneer is one of the popular recipe from the Indian Chinese cuisine. This chilli paneer gives restaurant style taste and flavor.

aloo tikka recipe, tandoori aloo recipealoo tikka recipe, tandoori aloo recipe

40 mins

Marinated & spiced potatoes which can be grilled or pan fried.

khaman dhokla recipe, khaman recipe, nylon khaman dhokla recipekhaman dhokla recipe, khaman recipe, nylon khaman dhokla recipe

20 mins

Khaman dhokla or khaman as its called is a savory steamed cake made from gram flour.

cheese balls recipecheese balls recipe

Moderate
45 mins

Easy to prepare tasty recipe of cheese balls made with potatoes, gram flour and cheese.

gobi 65 recipegobi 65 recipe

1 hr 20 mins

Gobi 65 is a spicy and tasty starter snack of fried cauliflower florets.

arbi fry recipe, seppankizhangu fry recipearbi fry recipe, seppankizhangu fry recipe

32 mins

Spiced colocasia or taro roots fry for Navratri fasting.

sweet potato chaat recipe, shakarkandi ki chaat recipesweet potato chaat recipe, shakarkandi ki chaat recipe

15 mins

Sweet potato chaat is one of the easiest to prepare chaat recipe with sweet potatoes or shakarkandi.

dahi arbi recipedahi arbi recipe

45 mins

Dahi arbi recipe – colocasia-taro roots in a thin yogurt gravy

kala chana chaat recipekala chana chaat recipe

12 mins

Kala chana chaat is a tangy and tasty snack made from black chickpeas

arbi cutlet recipearbi cutlet recipe

30 mins

Arbi cutlet recipe – spiced crispy pan fried arbi or colocasia roots. Vegan & gluten free recipe.

aloo chaat recipealoo chaat recipe

15 mins

Aloo chaat is fried crisp potatoes tossed in spicy & sweet chutneys, a few spice powders and then topped with curd or pomegranate arils or sev.

tomato soup recipetomato soup recipe

Easy
45 mins

Easy to prepare restaurant style delicious tomato soup recipe

cream of mushroom soup recipecream of mushroom soup recipe

30 mins

This cream of mushroom soup is a one-pot quick, easy and tasty cream of mushroom soup recipe. 

palak soup recipe, spinach soup recipepalak soup recipe, spinach soup recipe

30 mins

This spinach soup is an easy, creamy and low-calorie soup made with spinach leaves, onions, spices and herbs.

carrot soupcarrot soup

Easy
30 mins

Carrot soup. A delicious one pot, creamy and thick carrot soup that you will be making again and again. The recipe is also vegan and gluten-free.

carrot ginger soup recipecarrot ginger soup recipe

Easy
30 mins

This vegan carrot ginger soup is an easy recipe of a comforting soup made with carrots and spiced with ginger.

Karwa Chauth Vrat Vidhi

(These below mentioned rules are followed at my house for Karwa Chauth vrat. Few rules might vary from family to family. I am sharing this Karwa Chauth vrat vidhi for your reference. If in doubt then please consult your family elders or family pandit and always follow the rules followed in your family)

  • Karwa Chauth vrat can also be kept by unmarried girls, if the engagement ceremony is already done.
  • Onion and garlic are strictly not eaten through out the day even after breaking the vrat.
  • Women dress up in their best clothes. Some women also wear the dress they wore on wedding day. Mostly red, orange, golden or bright color clothes or sari is worn. Just avoid wearing white or black color clothes as these colors are not consider auspicious for this occasion. Usually sari or ghagra-choli is worn.
  • Women are not supposed to do any household work on this day. Instead they apply heena or mehndi and dress up in their best clothes and do make up.

Karwa Chauth Sargi

(This is mostly done in Punjabi families)

  • Sargi is given by the mother in law which includes mathri, coconut (must), fruits like banana, apple etc and sweets or as per your wish. Usually dish made from pheni and milk is also part of sargi.
  • Money is also given by the mother in law one day in advance so that the daughter in law can purchase cosmetics or shringar item like bangles, bindi, mehendi, lipstick, hair band, chunri or clothes etc.  if the mother in law is not staying with you then she can send/transfer the money.
  • On the Karwa Chauth morning, before eating sargi the daughter in law will touch 7 items which she has decided that she is going to offer/donate to the Panditani (religious lady or priestess) in the evening after doing Karwa Chauth group pooja. So just touch the 7 items and then you can eat sargi.  these 7 items usually are mehendi, fruits, almonds or cashews (nuts & dry fruits), mathri, coconut and money.
  • While having sargi, first eat the sweets or dish made from pheni and milk. It is to start the day with sweet or on a positive note.

    After this you can eat coconut and then main course meal. The coconut is usually broken by the husband.

    Eat a lot and drink a lot of water. As you are not supposed to drink water or eat food after the sun rises (once the stars have set) and till you do the moon pooja in the night and moon is visible very late on this day.

  • Before eating sargi, put bindi and take red color chunri on your head. Head bath is taken one day before the Karwa Chauth vrat in evening and the head is kept clean (sucha in Punjabi language).
  • The Daughter-in-law also offer clothes and dry fruits like almonds or cashews to her in laws after the Karwa Chauth fast is over (explained later in the post).

Karwa Chauth Group Pooja

  1. Some people also worship Bhagwan Shiva and Parvati maa in the morning. But in our home, we only worship Parvati maa in the form of Gauri maa in the group pooja which is done in the evening around 4 pm or 5 pm.
  2. Before the sunset, all ladies from the locality gather in one place for the group pooja. In their thali they bring the items like sweets, mathri, fruits and sari and clothes.

    These items are called as ‘baya’. Baya items are bought from the money the daughter in law has received from her mother or father.

    If they stay close by then they can send the baya in a basket. But normally daughter in law buy baya items from the money send by her parents.

  3. Apart from baya items there are other things in the thali which includes one diya with mustard oil, sindhur, surma and all the 7 items which you have kept in the morning meant for priestess.

    Also bring one glass (lotta) of water (this is the same water which will be offered to moon in the night). In the water rice grains and sugar is also added. Also tie a mauli (red string) around the lotta.

  4. All the ladies sit around the gauri mata image with their items and gauri mata worship is done. All the ladies put surma, lipstick, sindhur to the gaura mata. Its like doing shingar to gauri mata.
  5. One elderly lady or panditani tells Karwa Chauth katha or story and 7 times the thali containing the baya is rotated. While rotating thali a song is also sung.

Karwa Chauth Ka Gana (Song)

Few activities to be avoided during Karwa Chauth vrat:
(These are actually mentioned in the song which is sung during first 6 rotation of the thali.)

  • Don’t weave or stitch any cloth.
  • Do not use scissors and needles.
  • Don’t go to fields.
  • Don’t wake up any person who is sleeping.
  • Don’t try to please someone with whom you have or had a conflict.

How we break Karwa Chauth fast?

When the moon is visible (which is always late on this day) then we take a thali in which one diya made with atta or wheat flour, mustard oil, one cotton wick is lit and mathri is kept. Also the water which you have taken with you in the evening pooja of gauri ma is also taken.

Take the red color chunri on your head. Remove your sleepers and keep one wooden stick or piece below your feet and in a sieve (chhanni), place this lit diya and the woman see the moon indirectly via the sieve.

At our home, we repeat the below line 3-4 times while seeing the moon indirectly via sieve. “Haath khari phair chari main suhagan arg den khari” (which means, my hands are spread, I am standing with a wooden stick below my feet and I am a married woman standing here to offer water to you).

(Translation: haath (hands), khari (standing or spread), phair (feets), chari (wooden stick or piece), suhagan (married lady), arg (water), den (to give), khari (standing).

After saying the above lines 3 to 4 times, throw the diya backwards. Then see the moon directly and pour water downwards in the direction of moon.

Throw 5 to 6 mathri pieces also downwards in the direction of moon. Empty the entire water from the glass/lotta. Don’t drink this water at all.

Then see your husband through the sieve (chhanni). Many women also touch the feet of their husband at this stage. At this point you can also internally pray for your husband well being.

After this, to break the fast, husband will offer water and mathri to you. In our home, we eat rice and dal makhani after this. But onion and garlic can not be put in this dish also.

I pray and hope everyone has a fulfilled Karwa Chauth and this Karwa Chauth adds more harmony, understanding and love into the marriage. I hope both partners help each other in the inner and outer well being of body, mind and soul.

This post from the archives (Oct 2011) has been republished and updated on 3 November 2020.