Gaurī Habba, kept as the Svarṇa Gaurī Vrata, falls on the day before Vināyaka Caturthī and is one of the best-loved women's festivals of Karnataka. Married women welcome Gaurī as a daughter returning to her parental home, worship her and prepare for her son's arrival. Her son Gaṇeśa is believed to come the next day to take her back to Kailāsa, so the two days together are called Gaurī Gaṇeśa Habba. The gifts exchanged among sumaṅgalīs are seen as shared prosperity. How the day is fixed: The festival is kept on the day on which Bhādrapada Śukla Tṛtīyā prevails at local sunrise. In most years this is the day before Vināyaka Caturthī. Keep in mind: Because the tithi is read at local sunrise, the date can shift by a day from one place to another. Śukla month names agree in amānta and pūrṇimānta calendars, so Bhādrapada Śukla Tṛtīyā is the same day in both. This year: The 2027 date shown here is worked out from sunrise at the place you chose, so in another city the same day can fall a day earlier or later. Svarṇa Gaurī vrata: Women install a clay or turmeric Gaurī on a tray of grain and perform the Svarṇa Gaurī vrata. The worship ends with the Gaurī stotram and āratī. Gaurī dāra and bāgina: After the pūjā married women tie the sixteen-knot Gaurī dāra on the wrist, and girls receive unknotted turmeric threads. Sumaṅgalīs then exchange bāgina, winnow trays of turmeric, kumkum, bangles, a blouse piece, grains, coconut and jaggery covered with a second tray. Worth remembering: Vināyaka Caturthī the next day is a separate festival, even though the two days are spoken of together. Haratālikā, kept on the same Tṛtīyā in North India and Maharashtra, is a parallel Gaurī vow but a different observance. Each Karnataka household keeps Gaurī Habba in its own way. Some install a clay image and others a turmeric one, the contents of the bāgina differ from house to house, and in many families the married daughter receives a Gaurī Habba gift from her parental home. Kannada families living in Andhra, Tamil Nadu and the border districts carry the festival with them. The general rules of the vrata are a guide, but the fullest blessing comes from following the elders of one's own house.
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