Fasting for Janmashtami 2024? Here are the rules and rituals to follow during the fast | India News
For Hindus, the festival of Janmashtami celebrates the birth of the god Krishna. The festival is celebrated on the eighth day of the dark half of the month of Bhadrapada, which usually falls in August or September. Janmashtami 2024 will be celebrated on August 26 (Monday) this year.
Janma (birth) and Ashtami (the eighth day of the month in the Hindu calendar) are the two words that make up this phrase. In Mathura, where Krishna was born, and Vrindavan, where he spent his early childhood, Janmashtami is celebrated with immense religious fervor, with thousands of devotees flocking to the city at this time.
Fasting, considered a means of spiritual and physical purification, is one of the most important aspects of Janmashtami. Fasting rules vary from people to people and region, but all focus on devotion and reverence.
Janmashtami 2024: Rituals and breaking the fast
On Janmashtami, people usually fast for a day and pray, chant and recite the Bhagavad Gita or Krishna Leela. The fervent celebration of Krishna’s birth in temples attracts large numbers of devotees. After the symbolic birth of Lord Krishna, the fast is usually broken at midnight.
After the prasad, the prepared food is offered to Krishna as part of the fasting ritual. Devotees believe that fasting and performing these ceremonies with sincerity and devotion brings them closer to Lord Krishna and seeks his blessings for success and spiritual development.
Janmashtami 2024: Types of Fasting
• Nirjala fast: This is the strictest form of fasting. It marks Krishna’s birth by not eating or drinking anything until midnight. This is followed by aarti and prayers.
• Phalahar fast: It allows fruits, milk and water and caters to those who are unable to celebrate Nirjala, stick to a sattvic (pure) diet and avoid grains, vegetables, onions and garlic. Rice, cereals, pulses and salt are prohibited during Janmashtami fast. Devotees, on the other hand, use rock salt to make non-grain products like buckwheat, amaranth and water chestnut flour.
• Permitted foods
1. Fresh fruits such as apples, bananas and pomegranates
2. Dairy products such as yoghurt, milk, paneer and butter
3. Root vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes, often used in dishes like vrat (another Hindi term for fasting) ke aloo
4. Nuts and seeds that provide energy and nutrients during fasting.
First published: 23 August 2024 | 20:34 IS
