When to Start the Santoshi Mata Vratसंतोषी माता व्रत कब शुरू करें

The Santoshi Mata Vrat is kept on Fridays, and by common tradition the first Friday falls in Shukla Paksha, the bright fortnight when the moon is waxing. Many families also avoid beginning the vow during Kharmas and while Venus is combust. This page explains these customs, how to choose your first Friday, how to count the sixteen Fridays, what to do if one is missed and what time of day to do the puja. It also gives a year-by-year table of Shukla Paksha Fridays.

Why a Friday

Friday (Shukravar) is the day of Maa Santoshi in the popular tradition, and the whole vow is built around it. In Hindu astrology Friday is also linked with Shukra, the planet Venus, which is why the position of Venus matters to some families when they choose the starting day. Because the vrat is kept only on Fridays, its first day is always a Friday.

Begin in Shukla Paksha

Each lunar month has two fortnights. Shukla Paksha runs from the day after Amavasya (new moon) to Purnima (full moon), while the moon grows brighter. Krishna Paksha runs from the day after Purnima to Amavasya. Starting an auspicious vow in the waxing fortnight is a widespread custom that symbolises growth, so devotees usually take the sankalp on a Shukla Paksha Friday. Once the vow has begun, it is kept on every following Friday, whether it falls in Shukla or Krishna Paksha.

Periods many people avoid

• Kharmas: the two solar months when the Sun is in Dhanu (Sagittarius) and Meena (Pisces), roughly mid-December to mid-January and mid-March to mid-April. New auspicious beginnings are traditionally avoided in this time.
• Shukra asta: the weeks when Venus is too close to the Sun to be seen and is said to be combust. Since Friday is Shukra's day, many prefer not to begin a Friday vow while Venus is set.
• Adhik maas: the extra lunar month added every few years to keep the lunar and solar calendars in step. Many do not begin new vows in this month.

These avoidances are common, not universal. Some families simply begin on the first convenient Shukla Paksha Friday, and customs vary by region. Once the vrat has begun, it usually continues through these periods without a break.

How to choose your first Friday

1. Look in a panchang (Hindu almanac) for your city, or a reliable online panchang, for the next Shukla Paksha.
2. Note the Friday or Fridays that fall in it.
3. If your family follows these customs, check that the date is not in Kharmas, Shukra asta or Adhik maas.
4. Avoid a Friday when you expect to be travelling or unwell. Many women prefer a first Friday that does not fall during menstruation.
5. Gather the puja samagri in advance, especially the gud and chana, and make sure there will be no sour food in the kitchen that day.
6. On that Friday, take the sankalp during the puja and keep the fast as described in the vrat vidhi.

Shukla Paksha Fridays from 2026 to 2035

The dates below are calculated for New Delhi at sunrise and can differ by a day elsewhere, so please check a local panchang before you begin.

How to count the sixteen Fridays

The traditional vow is for sixteen consecutive Fridays (solah shukravar). The first Friday, when you take the sankalp, counts as Friday one. Every Friday on which you keep the fast, avoid sour food and do the puja and katha is counted. Sixteen Fridays take about four months if none is missed. Some devotees resolve on a different number, or keep the vrat until their wish is fulfilled; whatever you resolve at the start is the number you complete. A small notebook or a mark on a calendar each Friday makes counting easy.

If a Friday is missed

Illness, menstruation, travel or a death in the family can make it impossible to keep a particular Friday. Common practice is to skip that Friday without counting it and to continue on the next Friday, so the total still reaches sixteen. The vow is not usually considered broken by such a gap. If sour food is eaten by mistake, many devotees treat that Friday as not counted, ask the Mother's forgiveness and continue the following week. Customs vary, so follow your family's way. The vrat niyam page covers the rules of the day in detail.

What time of day

In the popular booklet tradition the puja is done in the morning, after bathing and wearing clean clothes, and the katha is heard with gud and chana in hand. Some devotees do the puja in the evening because of work or family routines; customs vary. It helps to keep the same time every Friday. The fast is kept through the day, with one sattvic meal after the puja (or fruit during the day), and nothing sour at any time.

After the last Friday

When the Fridays you resolved on are complete, the vow is closed with the udyapan, on the last Friday or the Friday after. Eight boys are fed a meal with nothing sour in it, and they are given a gift rather than money. Many families like the udyapan Friday to fall outside Kharmas as well, though this is a family choice.

Frequently asked questions