Tag Archives: Hindi

Karva Chauth Fasting

General Information about Item:

  • Bad Luck Superstition
  • Language: English/Hindi
  • Country of Origin: India
  • Informant: Aashika Jhawar
  • Date Collected: 11-5-2018
  • Interview done over phone

Informant Data:

  • Aashika (Aashi) Jhawar is a 19 year old college student from Bellevue, WA. She was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and currently attends the University of California, Berkeley. She is second generation American and her family is from Northern India.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: Karva Chauth is a one-day Hindu festival celebrated four days after purnima (full moon) in the month of Kartika. The Karva Chauth fast is traditionally celebrated by women in the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and as “Atla Tadde” in Andhra Pradesh. In the past, the celebration of Karva Chauth was a prayer for the long life of soldiers in the war, and today is used to ensure the long life of a married husband.
  • Social Context: Aashi learned this superstition from her parents, who described it as one of the many examples of gender imbalances in Indian culture.

Item:

  • During the day-long festival of Karva Chauth, it is considered bad luck for a married woman to eat while the moon is not visible.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Transcript:
  • “So one example of an Indian Superstition can be seen during the festival of Karva Chauth, and basically on this day women will wait for the moon to come out and fast until that. Essentially what they are hoping to do is ensure good health for their husbands.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • Aashi prefaced this superstition by stating that most of the superstitions she knew originating from India are rooted in sexist ideals. Aashi also stated that she does not participate in this festival.

Collector’s Comments:

  • I thought this superstition was interesting in that it shows how closely religion and superstition are linked in Indian culture. I also found it interesting that the superstition changed in meaning over time, starting with luck for troops and became luck for husbands.

Collector’s Name: Derek Lue