The festival of Vat Savitri signifies the devotion of a married Hindu woman towards her husband and the veneration of Devi Savitri

Among some of the important festivals celebrated by married Hindu women, the festival of Vat Savitri assumes a lot of importance and is celebrated with a lot of fervour in states like Orissa, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Maharashtra. In South India, this fast is known as Karadaiyan Nonbu. The festival has deep roots in Indian folklore and is based on the unflagging devotion that Savitri, the daughter of King Ashwapati of Madra Desa had for her husband Satyavan in the Mahabharat.

Speaking more about the festival and its rituals, Om Prakash Sharma, a priest, says, “The festival of Vat Savitri is celebrated to worship Savitri as a goddess as she, through her devotion, had bought her dead husband back to life and also regained everything that her husband, Prince Satyavan had lost. The entire story of her asking for her husband’s life back from Yama, the god of death, had apparently occurred under a banyan tree, also called the vat vriksha. Hence the name of the festival is Vat Savitri. The tenacity that Savitri showed in overcoming insurmountable obstacles remains an inspiration for every woman and that why the festival is celebrated by Indian women with such fervour.”

Elaborating on the rituals performed on this day, he adds, “In the northern states, the festival is celebrated on the jyeshtha amavasi day (no moon day), and the fasting usually lasts for three days. It begins on the trayodashi day and ends on amavasi day – the fast is kept for three nights and ends on the fourth day. In the western areas of the nation, especially in Gujarat and Maharashtra, vat savitri vrat is also observed on the jyeshtha purnima day (full moon day). The rituals, however, remain the same all over. Married Hindu women wear new clothes and bangles, and apply vermilion on the forehead. Later, they eat the roots of the vat vriksha along with water.”

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