Santoshi Mata Vrat Niyamसंतोषी माता व्रत नियम

The Santoshi Mata Vrat has very few rules compared with many other fasts, but one of them is famous and strict: nothing sour (khatta) is eaten, and no sour food is given to anyone, on the vrat Friday. The popular katha turns on exactly this point, when the vow is broken because the boys at the udyapan buy something sour. This page gathers the rules that devotees commonly follow. Customs vary from family to family, so where your elders have a settled practice, it is fine to keep to it.

The main rule: no khatta

On each vrat Friday the devotee does not eat anything sour and does not serve or give sour food to anyone else, whether family, guests or people in need. In many homes the whole family avoids sour things for the day, so that nothing sour is cooked in the kitchen at all. Devotees believe that keeping this rule faithfully is the heart of the vow.

What counts as sour

The items below are avoided in almost every home:

• Lemon and lime, including lemon juice in food or drinks
• Tamarind (imli) and anything made with it, such as tamarind chutney
• Curd (dahi), buttermilk (chhachh), raita and kadhi
• Pickles of every kind
• Sour fruits: raw mango, amla, sour berries, oranges and similar citrus fruits
• Vinegar and foods containing it, such as many sauces
• Amchur (dry mango powder)

Customs vary on some other items. Many homes also avoid tomato, kokum, sour green apple and fermented batters (such as idli or dosa batter, which turn sour). Some families avoid anything with a sour taste at all, while others avoid only the clearly sour items. If you are unsure about an item, the common advice is simply to leave it out on Fridays.

Food on the vrat day

• Most devotees eat one meal, after the puja. Some take fruit and milk during the day and a meal in the evening.
• The meal is simple and sattvic: for example roti or puri, dal, a dry vegetable, rice and a sweet such as kheer or halwa.
• In many homes onion and garlic are avoided on Fridays.
• Meat, eggs, fish and alcohol are not taken.
• Gud and chana prasad is eaten after the puja.
• Choose fruits that are sweet, such as banana, papaya or sweet apple, rather than sour ones.

Conduct

• Bathe and wear clean clothes before the puja. Red, orange or yellow is often preferred.
• Keep the puja place and kitchen clean.
• Speak gently and try to avoid quarrels, anger, lying and harsh words on Fridays.
• Do not speak ill of anyone; the katha shows how jealousy in the household brings trouble.
• Listen to or read the katha every Friday, and do the aarti.
• Many devotees try to sleep at night rather than during the day on the vrat day.

Contentment (santosh) is the spirit of this vrat. Many devotees see the rules as a weekly practice of patience and satisfaction with what one has.

If a Friday is missed

Sometimes a Friday cannot be kept because of illness, menstruation, travel, a birth or death in the family, or other unavoidable reasons. The common practice is to skip that Friday without counting it, and to continue the vrat on the next Friday, so that the full number of Fridays is still completed. Some women ask another family member to do the puja on their behalf on such a Friday, while others simply pause. Customs vary, and families follow what their elders advise.

If a mistake is made by accident, for example a sour item is eaten without realising, devotees usually ask the Mother's forgiveness, avoid sour food for the rest of the day, and continue. Many do not count such a Friday and keep one more at the end.

Who can keep the vrat

The vrat is open to everyone. Married and unmarried women, girls, men and older people all keep it. It is especially popular among women in North and Central India. No initiation, guru or priest is needed. A family can also keep it together, with one person doing the puja and the others listening to the katha and avoiding sour food.

Starting and completing

The vrat is traditionally begun on a Shukla Paksha Friday, and many avoid starting during Kharmas or when Venus is combust (see the vrat start date page). It is kept for 16 Fridays, or for the number resolved at the start, and closed with an udyapan. The steps of each Friday's puja are on the vrat vidhi page.

Health note

Pregnant women, the sick, the elderly, diabetics and people on medication should take a doctor's advice before fasting. They may keep a lighter vow: eat normal meals at regular times, avoid only the sour items, and do the puja with devotion. Anyone who needs a sour food or a medicine for health reasons should follow their doctor. This is not a substitute for medical advice; if you feel unwell, consult a doctor.

Frequently asked questions