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.”

"Usually, after prayers at home, I go to the temple near my house which has a large banyan tree, where I pour water, tie red threads around the tree coated with vermilion and then go around the tree seven times, praying to Savitri for a long and happy marital life and a peaceful, healthy life for my husband. After having fasted for the entire day, usually I have the bhoga or offering made to the gods, which consists of wet pulses, rice, mango, jackfruit, lemon, banana and several other fruits,” says S Vidya, a homemaker.

“In addition to the normal rituals of tying the red thread along the banyan tree and observing the three-day fast in my ancestral home in Bihar, I, along with my sisters-in-law, draw a banyan tree using a paste made of turmeric and sandalwood and sit near the drawing and pray for several hours and pray for not only the well being of our respective husbands but also for a happy and fulfilling life. The eating of the roots of the banyan tree along with water is another important ritual as in the roots of the banyan tree lies Brahma, in the stem lies Janardhan and in the top portion lies Shiva and in totality there's Devi Savitri. Finally, to accomplish this vow in totality, all women folk in our house offer clothes, fruits, sindoor (Vermilion), kumkum in a copper vessel to a Brahmin,” says Amrita Shrivastav, another housewife.

“The rituals associated with this festival speak of a deep bond betwen a married woman and her husband and even though traditions may vary from place to place, the zest and the basis of celebrating the festival remain the same. The festival is all about the love and devotion of a wife to her husband, and about the lady being able to face any difficulty for the well being of her family,” adds Sharma.