Amdavadi women fasted and decked up to observe Kadava Choth on Wednesday.
Geeta Parswani observed her first Kadava Choth on Wednesday with fervour and excitement. "Kadava Choth has always been a much-awaited festival for the Sindhis. I grew up seeing my mom and other married women in the house fasting till sundown to pray for the wellbeing and long life of their husbands. Although times have changed, I am happy that Kadava Choth is still observed in the traditional manner, exactly the way my mom has been doing it for so long," said Parswani.
The excitement was palpable and could be felt on the wee hours of Wednesday morning when married women got up to receive gifts from their mother-in-laws in the form of sargi (kheer made of sweetened milk and vermicelli), dry fruits, sweets and parathas. After gorging on the eatables gifted by their mothers-in-law, the women fast and refrain from even drinking water till the moon rises. The daylong fast is broken after the evening rituals that involve reading katha of Lord Ganesha followed by the Kadava Choth katha.
"A day before the Kadava Choth, we go to beauty parlours to look our best on the day of the festival. It is one of those festivals when women from the surrounding areas or relatives some together to observe the ritual and deck up for their husbands," said Neeta Bagga. Designer wears, exclusive mehendi designs on the hands and feet and a new set of jewellery is always in demand during the festival.
Many Bollywood films have featured the concluding ritual of Kadava Choth, but unlike the story, the ritual is real. "Once the moon rises, we offer water to it, and see the moon with a sieve. We then see the face of our husbands with the sieve. After the ritual, the husband puts the first morsel of food in his wife's mouth and presents her a gift," said an enthusiastic Meera Makhija, who observed her second Kadava Choth this year.
"Kadava Choth is like a women's get together. The ritual in the evenings begins with the gathering of around 30 women in our house. We prepare for the puja and arrange for the idol of Mata Kadava (pot containing water), vermillion, bayana thali, dry fruits and gifts. We also sing and dance to songs specific to the occasion," informed Sonia Mohan.
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