Yesterday was the festival of karva chauth. During this festival married women in Northern India fast from dawn to moonrise to ensure the safety and longevity of their husbands. When the moon is first sighted, the husband offers his wife the first bite of food.
The women often rise before sunrise so that they can eat a good meal to see them through the day. Some women even go without water which, even though Delhi is not super hot right now, it’s still hot enough to make that tough. Depending on where you are, there are a number of possible rituals, but either way, the woman may well dress up in fine clothes and the man offers something, often something sweet before a decent meal. He sometimes also offers a gift too.
Unfortunately for the women, there was a terrible smog in Delhi yesterday. It irritated my eyes and my throat on the taxi ride from the airport, never ind having to spend a day in it. It was one of the worst days ever for pollution levels in Delhi. It was hard to see the moon. The wives and their husbands had to go to the flyovers and the open spaces to try and see the moon.
Eventually the moon was sighted and the couples could retreat from the pollution and feast. The more traditional took a home-cooked meal and the more modern sought out a restaurant.
Brie Encounter 