Fasting & devotion
The fasting vows kept fortnightly, monthly or once a year — their significance, legends, rituals and how each is timed by the Hindu calendar. Open any to read the full story.
Every vrat
The practice
A vrat is a personal fasting vow, paired with worship of a chosen deity — kept fortnightly (Ekadashi, Pradosh), monthly (Sankashti Chaturthi), or once a year (Vat Savitri, Hartalika Teej, Ahoi Ashtami). Unlike a festival, it is rarely a communal celebration; it is a private discipline undertaken for a specific wish, a loved one’s wellbeing, or simple devotion.
Set to a specific lunar day — the eleventh, thirteenth, fourth, or another.
Rules range from a single grain-free meal to a full nirjala (waterless) fast.
A story recited during the puja explains the vrat's own origin.
Extended vows (like Solah Somvar) end with a formal closing ceremony.
Questions
A vrat is a Hindu fasting vow — abstaining from food, certain foods, or water for a set period, paired with worship of a chosen deity — undertaken as a personal discipline, a prayer for a specific wish, or an offering of devotion.
A festival (like Diwali or Holi) is a single annual celebration shared publicly across a community. A vrat is a personal observance — often kept fortnightly or monthly, like Ekadashi or Pradosh — centred on fasting and individual devotion rather than communal celebration.
Yes. Fasting strictness (nirjala/waterless versus fruit-permitted versus a single grain-free meal) commonly varies by region, family tradition, and personal capacity — there is rarely one single universal rule.
Recurring vrats fall on the same tithi (lunar day) every fortnight or month, but the Gregorian date shifts — check the panchang for the current month's exact date rather than relying on a fixed calendar date.
Book a pooja in your name for any vrat, or check the calendar for this month’s panchang.
