THARPARKAR: Married Hindu women across Sindh have begun their fast as they celebrate Karva Chauth, praying for the safety and long life of their husbands.
Dressed in traditional attire, with bangles and mehendi on their hands and the customary sindoor in the parting of their hair, the women will go without food and water from sunrise to moonrise for the safety and longevity of their husbands.
The women wait for the moon to rise, and as soon as it is sighted, they offer prayers to it. They first look at the moon through a sieve and then break their fast, with the husband offering them their first sip of water and first bite of food. Married men therefore hurry home from work as early as possible on this day.
In the afternoon, the women will gather for a special puja, where they sit together to listen to the katha and pass puja thalis around while singing songs.
According to one theory, the festival coincided with the time when military campaigns and long-distance travel usually resumed, as the land dried and numerous rivers of the region subsided from the effects of the monsoon. Women observed the fast to pray for the safety of their husbands as they ventured away from home.
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