Uttarakhand: Holiday For Female Employees In Govt, Private & Educational Institutions Amid Karva Chauth

The Governor of Uttarakhand Gurmeet Singh has declared Tomorrow, November 1 as a public holiday for women employees in government, non-government offices and educational institutions across state. Vinod Kumar Suman, Secretary, General administration department issued order on Tuesday afternoon.

The official notification says, "The Governor (Uttarakhand) approves November 1, 2023 (Wednesday) as a public holiday for all women employees working in government/non-government offices/educational institutions/government establishments under the state of Uttarakhand due to the festival of Karva Chauth."

According to the Hindu Mythology, the Day of Karwa Chauth is observed by women with an arduous fast called Nirjala Vrat (fast without having water and food) which last for entire day from dawn to moonrise. The fast is observed by married or soon-to-be-married women for their husband's long lives and prosperity.

Women only eat food or drink water after offering Arghya to the Moon with an earthen pot known as Karva.

The origin of the Karwa Chauth is traced back to Karva Devi, whose husband got attacked by a crocodile, and Savitri, who then appealed to Lord Yama or Yamaraja (the god of death) to return her husband's life.

According to some folklore, when Arjun (Character from Mahabharata) went to the Nilgiris to meditate, Draupadi (Arjun's wife) got worried and sought Krishna's (lord Vishnu's Avatar) help to ensure Arjun's safety. To which Krishna advised Draupadi to fast for Arjun's safety, citing example of Goddess Parvati who did the same for her husband, Lord Shiva.