Karva is a word often used for ‘Pot’(an earthen pot), and Chauth means ‘fourth,’ as the festival falls on the fourth day of Kartika month.

This festival originated in Northern India. As per the historians, Northwestern region of India was always under invasions from outsiders,

so most of the men were sent away for war campaigns, where men would often stay away from the wives and family for an extended period.

Some were gone never to return. The wives of these soldiers would pray to God for the safety of their husbands.

The festival comes during the wheat-sowing season. The earthen pots in which wheat seeds were stored for most of the year are called Karvas.

So it is safe to consider that the festival may have started as a prayer for the safety of husbands as well as a good harvest.