fasts and vrats
What is the Rath Saptami (Surya Jayanti) vrat and how is it observed?
What the day marks
Rath Saptami falls on the seventh day of the bright half of the month of Magha, in January or early February. The name comes from the belief that on this day the sun's chariot turns northward, beginning its journey toward summer. The sun is worshipped as Arogyadaata, the giver of health and freedom from disease. The tradition holds that observing this vrat removes the sins of seven past lives and seven future lives.
How people observe it
The day begins early, before sunrise. People bathe with water mixed with leaves of the Arka plant, also called Calotropis, placed on the head. This bathing is seen as a purification. Many people then fast until noon, when they offer prayers to the sun. The fast is broken after the puja, the formal worship. Some offer water, flowers, and food to the sun. The practice varies by region and family—some fast the whole day, some only until noon, and some do not fast at all but still perform the worship.
Where it comes from
The vrat is described in old texts like the Surya Purana and Bhavishya Purana. The day is also called Surya Jayanti, the birthday of the sun. It has been celebrated for centuries, especially in temples dedicated to the sun god. The most famous is the Konark Temple in Odisha, built in the shape of the sun's chariot. At Tirupati in the south, the Brahmotsavam festival begins around this time.
Today
The vrat is still observed by many Hindus, especially in northern and eastern India. Some people keep it as a health practice, fasting and bathing with the Arka leaves as a seasonal cleansing. Others see it as a spiritual observance tied to the sun's movement into a new phase. In the diaspora, people mark it with home worship and sometimes fasting, keeping the custom alive even far from the temple. How strictly people observe it depends on their family tradition and what feels meaningful to them.