The Origin:

There are many hypotheses for the origin of this festival. The first one is that during these months of October and November, military campaigns and long-distance travel usually resumed, as the areas dried and many rivers of the region subsided from the effects of the monsoon. Women kept the fast to pray for their husband's safety as they ventured away from home.

The festival also concurs with the wheat-sowing time. Big earthen pots called karvas were used to store wheat, so the fast may also have originated as a prayer for good harvest.

Significance:

The Day begins with the women getting up before sunrise and worship the Gods for longevity and prosperity of their husbands and children. Mothers-in-laws give their daughters-in-laws sumptuous food called 'Sargi'. They have to eat it before sunrise, as the fast starts before sunrise. The fast is tough, as women do not take any food or water.

In the evening, women cherish the joy of dressing up in adorning fine clothes. They receive the baya or a basket full of goodies. Before sun set, most of the women in a locality gather at one place and do a puja and the rituals associated with the puja. They pray for the long life and safety of their husbands. While chanting prayers, they pass their bayas from one to another.