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Festivals
Almost everyone who observes this day knows the story of a queen and a trick with a mirror. Almost no one asks what the scripture itself actually says about the vow.
Karva Chauth is observed on the fourth day after the full moon, in the dark fortnight of the month of Kartik. Married women keep a strict fast from sunrise until they see the moon at night. In its most rigorous form, they take no water either.
The Narada Purana contains a section describing vratas. These are vows or fasts tied to particular lunar days across the year. Within this section is the Karaka Chaturthi vrata. It is named for karaka, an earthen pot used in the ritual, and chaturthi, the fourth day. This is the closest thing the approved textual tradition offers to a scriptural basis for Karva Chauth. It is not a dramatic story with named characters and a plot. It is a description of a vow, its timing, and its purpose: long life and wellbeing for one's husband.
The rest of this story, read aloud, and a new one every day.