Religious Fasts
At the end of the story, when Gaur Mata exchanges her karva with the young bride, each woman doing the puja exchanges her karva with the lady next to her, seven times, saying: 'Take O suhagan my karva', with a karva' in her two hands slightly raised, along with the thaali on top carrying all the goodies, and the other woman says: 'Give O suhagan your karva', bringing the karva towards herself Everyone present takes a partner and does the same. Then these partners do likewise, but with the roles reversed. Now one by one, each woman does the baya manasna, individually, by taking a little rice in the cup of the left hand and adding a little water to it, then taking the edge of the pallu in the right hand, the index finger is kept dipped in the cup of the left hand, while someone chants the relevant couplet. Then both hands are taken round the karva once and then the water is poured on the side of the karva, the chanting being done by an elder lady. The whole process is repeated a second time without the chant.
The chant is as follows: 'Addey-add Krishna pakshe vaar (whatsoever day it is) 'Tith Karva Chouth (name of the member) manse ham apne suhag ke liye yeh karva, mattri, halwa, sari, nagdi, aur (name any other item on the thaali), apne suhag ke liye rani ka sa raaj dena, Gaur ka sa suhag dena Shri Krishna nimant.'
After getting up, one must touch the feet of all the elders and take their blessings. Each woman gives her baya to an elder member of the family.
The puja now ends and one of the women takes the puja thaali with a lighted diya (lamp) and a small utensil of water (hopefully the moon has been sighted by now). One by, one they perform pujan of the moon. Each woman offers water to the moon by holding the lamp in the left hand and with the right hand pours the water on the ground seven times, also throwing seven pieces of freshly broken puas. She herself chants: 'Char peher ka deevla, char peher ki raat, bale chandrama arak doon Karva Chouth ki raat.'
This chant is repeated seven times by each one. The woman does not touch the feet of either of her parents or people from her own family (as opposed to her husband's family), if she is doing the puja in her mother's house, since she is regarded as 'Devi roop' in her own household. Those who have kept the fast break a pua into ten piece' (each person individually) and each piece is eaten one by one with a little water drunk in between. This is done in total silence.
Now the family dinner is served. Festive items cooked for the occasion are placed on the table, like puri, dahi-vada, with four vegetables, sounth ki pakori (this is made by soaking sounth in water and making a thin liquid more or less drinkable, mixed with sugar, salt and red chilli powder, all to one's own taste, and adding small round pakoris of besan to this mixture). This dish tastes very good and is also very good for digestion. Rice and dal are not cooked on the days of any fast. The food is made without any onion or garlic. Thus the great fast of Karva Chouth comes to an end.
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