Karva Chauth Sargi and dinner !

  A very happy Karva Chauth to all of you!

Tomorrow is Karva Chauth. A day when Indian wives fast the whole day without  eating  or drinking water . Women pray for the well being of their husbands. Mother in law's send gifts gifts to their in laws and prepare sargi for them. Sargi is a meal that is eaten around 4 AM in the morning before dawn. After sargi the fast starts. The fast  ends by looking at the moon  at night.  Women adorn themselves with henna designs and wear bangles. They are not supposed to work that day. This is a complete rest day when they spend the whole day as they want.  Sargi is a special meal  that was always cooked by my mother in law. Our family tradition is to eat 7 things at a time.So I passed on the tradition to my Daughter in law. Even though the fast is kept by the married women folks, all men in our family  also joined for the first meal.


   Sargi  consists of :

1. Gobi parantha ( Stuffed cauliflower fried bread)
2. Plain Yogurt
3. Sweet vermicilli 
4. Nuts
5. Fruits & coconut
6. Indian sweets 
7. Tea

In the evening , before sunset , all the women  dress up and gather together and the oldest among them tells the story of karva chauth. They take almonds, fruits or cookies , a glass of water and a diya made with atta dough . This is given to the  husband's parents along with some gifts. In some families , women  drink milk or tea after the story session.

At night when the moon arises in the sky, the women see the moon in the seive and then they see their husband through it. Husband in turn gives fruit juice/  sugar and water to break the fast. The family then gets ready for dinner.

In my family we have the tradition of cooking the following things for dinner.

 1. Black beans  lentils 

 2. Gobi Aloo ( cauliflower with potatoes )

 3.  Raita ( A yogurt dish)

4.   Kachumbar salad.

The food is strictly vegetarian .

The first Karva Chauth is celebrated with a lot of pomp and show. 

The sargi recipes and dinner recipes may vary  according to regions families. This is a north Indian Style( Punjabi) of celebrating Karva Chauth.