Santoshi Mata Vrat: vidhi, katha and rules
Santoshi Mata · Every Friday
Santoshi Mata Vrat is kept on Fridays, usually for 16 Fridays. Santoshi Maa is seen as the goddess of contentment and joy. An offering of jaggery and roasted chana, and keeping away from sour food that day, are the special marks of this vrat.
🗓 Coming dates (Delhi)
- Friday, 13 November 2026
- Friday, 20 November 2026
- Friday, 27 November 2026
- Friday, 4 December 2026
- Friday, 11 December 2026
- Friday, 18 December 2026
- Friday, 25 December 2026
- Friday, 1 January 2027
Next Shukla paksha begins around Tuesday, 10 November
How it is kept (vidhi)
- After the morning bath, take a sankalp for 16 Fridays, or the number you choose.
- Place a picture of Santoshi Mata with a kalash of water nearby.
- Put jaggery and roasted chana in a small bowl on the kalash.
- Light a diya, read or listen to the katha, then do the aarti.
- Share the jaggery and chana prasad. Sprinkle the kalash water around the home or pour it into the tulsi plant.
Common practices
- On the day, the person keeping the vrat avoids anything sour, like tamarind, lemon, curd or pickle.
- Traditionally, sour food is also not served to others in the home that day.
- Many people eat one meal in the day, with nothing sour in it.
- Jaggery and roasted chana are the main prasad.
The katha
An old woman had seven sons. The six elder sons worked and earned, but the youngest had no work yet. At home he was given leftovers, and his wife quietly did the hardest chores. Feeling hurt, the youngest son went to a far city to find work, and his wife stayed back.
One day, while fetching wood, she saw some women doing a puja and asked about it. They told her about the Friday vrat of Santoshi Mata: offer jaggery and roasted chana, hear the katha, and keep the day free of anything sour. She began the vrat with a simple, hopeful heart.
Soon letters and money came from her husband, and later he came home himself, having done well. When the vrat was complete, she arranged the udyapan. That day some children of the house, without knowing, took coins and bought tamarind, and the rule of the day was not kept. Troubles came for a while. She did the udyapan again, calmly and with care, and peace returned to the home.
Many families keep this vrat remembering her patience and contentment.
Retold in our own words from the traditional story.
Udyapan
When the sankalp is complete, the udyapan is done on the last Friday. Commonly, eight boys are fed a meal such as kheer, puri and chana, and given a small gift. That day too, nothing sour is served or given, and children are given fruit or sweets in place of money.
Questions
- How many Fridays is the Santoshi Mata Vrat kept?
- Most families keep 16 Fridays and then do the udyapan. Some keep it until their wish is fulfilled. Traditions vary, and you can choose what suits you.
- Can others at home eat sour food that day?
- Traditionally, sour food is not served to anyone at home that day. Many families just plan a menu with nothing sour. It is up to what your household agrees on.
- What if I skip a Friday during travel or periods?
- Many families simply continue on the next Friday. The skipped Friday is not counted, but your earlier count stays. You can decide what feels right.
This information is awaiting review by a pandit. Traditions differ by family and region.