Three things I learnt at this year's Karwa Chauth
None of which were about fasting.
One: the women in our building do this together. Not because of religion alone — because it's a reason to gather. The chowk became, for an evening, the kind of public square cities used to have.
Two: my mother's recipes for thandai are uncoupled from any festival. We just call her on every full moon now.
Three: the day after, no one talks about it. Which is, perhaps, the point.