Karwa Chauth 2023: How to celebrate the first Karwa Chauth? Top rituals and traditions for newly married couples

Karwa Chauth falls on November 1. Here's how newlywed brides should celebrate their first Karva Chauth, rituals and traditions for newly married couples.

The auspicious Hindu festival of Karwa Chauth is marked with zeal across the country, especially in North Indian states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. Also known as Karaka Chaturthi or Karva Chauth, it falls on November 1 this year. It is celebrated during the Chaturthi tithi of Krishna Paksha in Kartik month. Married women observe this festival by keeping a difficult nirjala vrat (fasting without water and food) for their husband's long life and prosperity. They break the fast after moonrise by sighting it through a sieve and then looking at their husband through it. After which, the husband gives the wife a morsel of food and a sip of water. While the fast is special for all married women, it holds a special significance for the newlywed brides observing their first Karwa Chauth fast. Scroll through to learn how to celebrate your first Karwa Chauth and rituals and traditions for the newly married.

Married women observe Karwa Chauth by keeping a difficult nirjala vrat (fasting without water and food) for their husband's long life and prosperity. (Pixabay)

Karwa Chauth for newlywed brides

For any married woman, the first Karwa Chauth holds significance. Both the husband and wives family see it as a special day. Every family friends and relatives drop by to wish the newly-wed couple and the bride gets gifts from everyone.

Newly married women celebrating their first Karwa Chauth should receive thoughtful gifts from their in-laws and their maternal home to make them feel special on this day. The newly married daughter-in-law should also give her mother-in-law a specially curated Baya containing clothes, jewellery, food items, and wedding items. This ritual is performed to receive blessings from the mother-in-law.

Sargi is another important ritual of the festival. On the first Karva Chauth, the mother-in-law should personally give the Sargi to her daughter-in-law. The Sargi plate consists of fruits, mathri, sweets, dry fruits and other food items. Both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law should eat the Sargi together before sunrise.

Newly-married women should wake up early in the morning and take a bath. Then, they should clean the temple, light a diya, worship Maa Parvati, Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha and Lord Kartikeya, take a pledge for a nirjala vrat, and listen to Karwa Chauth Katha.

Newly-married brides should wear traditional clothes in red, do solah sringar, and apply mehendi on their hands and feet. They should avoid wearing black, brown and white colours. While white and black are not considered auspicious, brown represents Rahu and Ketu. Apart from red, they can wear red, pink, yellow, green and maroon.