Navratri is a festival dedicated to Goddess Durga, the period sees nine days of fasting by devotees, culminating into Ashtami, followed by Navmi where the devotees finally break their fast. Apart from paying obeisance to the Goddess, it is said that people also fast for a scientific purpose, as March/April is a season when the weather changes from winters to summers, our body's immunity goes for a toss. This is the best time to detox ourselves and stick to light and nutritious meals. It is said that "tamsik" food such as onion and garlic, along with all grains attract negative energies in our body. Hence, everyone should fast during these 9 days. However, there are certain rules of fasting when it comes to Navratri.
The Navratri fast starts on the first day and ends on the eight or ninth day, depending on the culture followed in the devotee's house. One can follow a whole fast or a partial one. In a whole fast, a devotee only eats "vrat" food while in a partial fast, a devotee consumes regular food, without onion and garlic, but only once a day, after sunset. No matter what kind of fast you keep, you should abstain from consuming any sort of non-veg food during these 9 days, alcohol consumption is also strictly prohibited during Navratras.
For Navratri food, regular salt is not used. Instead, the coarse rock salt is used. Apart from having all sorts of liquids (tea, coffee, water and juice) devotees can also have all kinds of dry fruits and milk products, without any preservatives. The Navratri fast is not just for the physical body, it also entails keeping your aggression and temper in control, practicing mindfulness during these 9 days is said to make you a better person. The Navratri fast is quite flexible and if you feel that you can't manage to fast for the entire 9 days, you can just fast for the first 3 days. You can also fast for the first and the last day. If you are fasting, then you should definitely wake up early in the morning and pray to the Goddess Durga. You should also light an earthen lamp or diya in front of the Goddess twice a day. If you can manage, lighting an "akhand jyot" too is considered to be very auspicious. The aforementioned akhand jyot must not be allowed to die down and one has to keep refilling it with ghee or mustard oil. During Navratras, all devotees get together in the day to sing bhajans in honour of the Goddess, while welcoming her arrival in their lives. Regardless of whether you go to a temple or not, all devotees pray to the Goddess and light a lamp in front of her in the evening. Jagrans are also common during this period where all devotees get together and sing devotional songs for the whole night.
Apart from fasting, some devotees also keep away from shaving, cutting nails or even getting intimate during this period of course all this boils down to how much you really want to do. After the 8 (or 9 ) days are over, most devotees break their fast, but not before doing a kanya pujan, where 7 or more girls, are worshiped, their feet washed and finally fed with food of their choice. They are then treated to a grand meal, mostly comprising of chane, puri, halwa and potato curry. They are also given small gifts and some money. Only after the girls leave can the devotees break their fast -- this is the first time they will be eating grains after 8 days. When fasting, some of the popular food consumed is Kuttu Ki Puri, Singhade Ka Halwa, Sabudana Vada and Sabudana Khichdi. For snacks, people consume fox nuts (makhane) and fruits. Let us now look at other things you need to keep in mind while observing this fast.
You should consume lots of water to keep yourself hydrated, a "nirjal" fast is not for everyone, but if you are keeping one, make sure to do so every alternate day and not everyday. Keep eating small meals at regular intervals. Being on an empty stomach for a long period of time can lead to acidity and indigestion. When your stomach is already empty, avoid stuffing it with fried food. So alternate fried potato with a boiled potato chat. You can also go for light meals such as sabudana khichdi or fruit salad. Curd has a healing quality and keeps you full as well. The best thing is that you can add curd to anything, salads, vegetables and even khichdi. Have curd during this period. Samak rice is a popular fasting food. It is easy to digest and low on calories. It provides much more nourishment than regular rice and can be consumed as a whole meal with curd or potato curry.
The Navratri fast starts on the first day and ends on the eight or ninth day, depending on the culture followed in the devotee's house. One can follow a whole fast or a partial one. In a whole fast, a devotee only eats "vrat" food while in a partial fast, a devotee consumes regular food, without onion and garlic, but only once a day, after sunset. No matter what kind of fast you keep, you should abstain from consuming any sort of non-veg food during these 9 days, alcohol consumption is also strictly prohibited during Navratras.
For Navratri food, regular salt is not used. Instead, the coarse rock salt is used. Apart from having all sorts of liquids (tea, coffee, water and juice) devotees can also have all kinds of dry fruits and milk products, without any preservatives. The Navratri fast is not just for the physical body, it also entails keeping your aggression and temper in control, practicing mindfulness during these 9 days is said to make you a better person. The Navratri fast is quite flexible and if you feel that you can't manage to fast for the entire 9 days, you can just fast for the first 3 days. You can also fast for the first and the last day. If you are fasting, then you should definitely wake up early in the morning and pray to the Goddess Durga. You should also light an earthen lamp or diya in front of the Goddess twice a day. If you can manage, lighting an "akhand jyot" too is considered to be very auspicious. The aforementioned akhand jyot must not be allowed to die down and one has to keep refilling it with ghee or mustard oil. During Navratras, all devotees get together in the day to sing bhajans in honour of the Goddess, while welcoming her arrival in their lives. Regardless of whether you go to a temple or not, all devotees pray to the Goddess and light a lamp in front of her in the evening. Jagrans are also common during this period where all devotees get together and sing devotional songs for the whole night.
Apart from fasting, some devotees also keep away from shaving, cutting nails or even getting intimate during this period of course all this boils down to how much you really want to do. After the 8 (or 9 ) days are over, most devotees break their fast, but not before doing a kanya pujan, where 7 or more girls, are worshiped, their feet washed and finally fed with food of their choice. They are then treated to a grand meal, mostly comprising of chane, puri, halwa and potato curry. They are also given small gifts and some money. Only after the girls leave can the devotees break their fast -- this is the first time they will be eating grains after 8 days. When fasting, some of the popular food consumed is Kuttu Ki Puri, Singhade Ka Halwa, Sabudana Vada and Sabudana Khichdi. For snacks, people consume fox nuts (makhane) and fruits. Let us now look at other things you need to keep in mind while observing this fast.
You should consume lots of water to keep yourself hydrated, a "nirjal" fast is not for everyone, but if you are keeping one, make sure to do so every alternate day and not everyday. Keep eating small meals at regular intervals. Being on an empty stomach for a long period of time can lead to acidity and indigestion. When your stomach is already empty, avoid stuffing it with fried food. So alternate fried potato with a boiled potato chat. You can also go for light meals such as sabudana khichdi or fruit salad. Curd has a healing quality and keeps you full as well. The best thing is that you can add curd to anything, salads, vegetables and even khichdi. Have curd during this period. Samak rice is a popular fasting food. It is easy to digest and low on calories. It provides much more nourishment than regular rice and can be consumed as a whole meal with curd or potato curry.
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