fasts and vrats
What is Shukravar (Friday) vrat and which goddess is associated with Friday fasting?
What the tradition holds
Friday is called Shukravar, named after Shukra, the planet Venus in Hindu astronomy. The day is linked to wealth, relationships, and harmony. The most popular Friday fast today is for Santoshi Mata, a goddess of contentment and family peace. In this fast, people eat light or white-colored foods—milk, yogurt, rice, fruit, and sweets made with milk or jaggery. Sour foods like tamarind, lemon, and yogurt that has turned sour are avoided. Some families keep the fast on every Friday, others on specific Fridays in a month. The fast is often kept for a set number of weeks or months, sometimes sixteen weeks. In other regions and households, Friday is a day to worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and fortune, or to honor Devi in her various forms. Which goddess is chosen often depends on family tradition and region.
How it grew
The Santoshi Mata fast became very popular after a film released in the mid-1970s brought the story and practice into wider view. Before that, Friday fasts were less common in many parts of India. The fast connected to Santoshi Mata grew quickly and spread through families and communities, especially in North India. Today it is one of the most widely kept Friday vrats. Older Friday worship of Lakshmi or other goddesses has continued in parallel, especially in South India and in some traditional households.
Today
Friday fasts are kept by millions of Hindu women and some men, both in India and in the diaspora. Many keep it as a personal or family habit, often passed down from mothers and grandmothers. Some see it as a spiritual practice, others as a way to connect with tradition and family. The fast is flexible—people adapt the food rules and the number of weeks to fit their life. Some keep it strictly, others keep it loosely. In cities and abroad, people often fast while working or studying, eating light meals at home. Online groups and apps now help people track and share their fasts with others doing the same.