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Saturday, September 3, 2011

All About Brato- Fasting Rituals in a Bengali Home


Our ancestors have always emphasized on fasting for every festivals. Traditional joint families are rare entities in metro cities these days, and if we shift our eyes from metros to small cities and then to villages, there number would tend to increase in that particular order. In fact most of the homes in rural Bengal are all traditional joint families.
The main lady of the house and the gentleman of the house have bigger responsibility of enduring all the rituals and to an extent making it sure that it should be passed on to younger generations as well.
I have been getting a lot of search queries past these years about the food to be eaten on Shashti Brato which include- Neel Shashti, Ashok Shashti and Durga Pujo Shashti.

This is what I have known precisely about different fasts that had been part of my life while growing up and also after being married. The facts mentioned here are based on the experiences I had gained, while seeing my grandmother, mother and mother-in-law observing these fasts.

I don’t claim them to be accurate but generally these basic principles are observed while following these Broto/fast in traditional Bengali Home.

“Brato” in Bengali means fasting.



Talking about fast , Shashti Brato/fast is the main fasting ritual of married Bengali ladies and specifically blessed with children.
As Durga Puja is coming near, Bengali married ladies will be observing their Shashti Brato.


Shashti Brato/fast –



  • Menu is driven basically on a fact that anything which is cooked with rice flour or has rice is not eaten. Menu is purely vegetarian. That means not even fish – a staple Bengali favorite.
  • Any thing which is burnt or charred is not eaten which includes rotis/ bread /toast and also all the oven baked vegetables as that equals being charred or burnt. However all the fried things like Luchi and paratha generally can be eaten.
  • Sprouts are healthy option if you want to snack in between. Onions and garlic, sometimes even ginger is a strict no in case of a Shashti food menu. Seasonal fruits and juices however are integral part.
  • Sweets and fruits are offered to Goddess on 6 Th day of Durga Pujo.
  • Yogurt /dahi /doi is very essential.
  • Scientifically Yogurt has this soothing effect on stomach as after a rigorous fasting routine our body releases many digestive enzymes which may turn harmful to our body otherwise as stomach is devoid of any food. Yogurt helps in reducing the acidity formed due to fasting.
  • A plate of freshly fried luchis and cholar dal ( sans onion/garlic/ginger tempering and garam masala tempering) begun bhaja is considered edible as far as Shashti Menu is considered for a typical Bengali home.
  • Menu for Neel shahsti and Ashok Shashti remains the same. Both these shashti is slated on the other nabaratri –the nabaratri which ends with Ramanabami in the month of April which also coincides with Poila Boishak or Bengali New Year.
  • Neel shashti- which is actually a fast related to Lord Shiva, as at the end of the day precisely at Suryasta or in the evening, puja offerings are made to Lord Shiva to seek his blessings for the well being of entire family, children specially.Milk, sweets and , Trumpet Flower -Dhatura Phool/Akondo Phol  and  Calotropis - Akando phol , and trident leaves of Bael tree  are offered to Lord Shiva.
Kali Pujo Brato-

  • A very strenuous fasting ritual. Some even don’t drink water or eat any food on this day. 
  • While  for a easy ritual stick to basics of having seasonal fruits, milk or lentils/Sprouts, even boiled vegetables can also be eaten.
  • This fast is broken at midnight at nearby Kalibari (abode of Ma Kali or Ma Kali temple) with 5 types of different seasonal fruits and sweets as offerings and a long Jabaphol’er mala or China rose flower necklace. Many a times some cults are also associated with it. But let’s not go into those details.

Lakshmi pujo Brato-

  • A fasting ritual on Lakshmi Puja, some days after Vijayadashmi.In the evening “Lakhi Brato Kotha” a mythological and sacred story is read and all the bhog is offered to Goddess Lakshmi.
  • The menu for the Bhog is purely vegetarian –
  • A dal preferably Cholar Dal, aloo phulkopir torkari, payesh, chatni and some dry fruits like roasted cashews and Chirey/poha with til candies/white sesame seeds candies or some white sugar candies and Batasha is offered as bhog to Goddess.
  • Entire house is swept clean before this Puja.And entrance to every door in rooms and the main entrance of the house are decorated with Goddess Lakshmi‘s symbolic footprints. These are made from a thick paste of grounded rice. I remember making many “alponas” on every Lakshmi Puja in our paternal home with balls of soft cottons dipped in this paste and then going along with the free flow of creativity.
  • The person, who is cooking the food which is “bhog”, should be clean, must be on a strict fast and should have proper bath prior to cooking, should also wear clean and washed clothes. He/she should not taste the food while preparing it as this will mean its “entho” meaning food is not appropriate or pure for Goddess as bhog.This principle stands for every bhog that is prepared which includes the Saptami and Ashtami Bhog during Durga Pujo as well.
 Ekadashi Brato-

  • Ekadashi Brato is a Folahaar Brato meaning only fresh seasonal fruits are eaten, not even anything related to flour/rice/pulses/legumes if I am not wrong. However there is always  better to balance things while folowing any ritual.This fast is very pious and strict.
  • This happens twice in every month as there are two ekadashi in every Bengali month I guess.
There are other Brato as well like Shibratri Brato and Janamashtami Brato as well.
  • Fruits and sweets, milk and Dahi is part of food menu.
  •  Apart from that a special flour “Singhare ka atta” is used to make a sweet halva as bhog to Lord Shiva on Shibratri at my parental home.
I have tried to include all details as per best of my knowledge about these fasting, however if anything is left, do let me know if there are other fasting rituals as well.

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Happy Cooking Friends

15 comments:

  1. ami akdom upos korte parina. anyo din na kheye kato khan thaki kintu upos korte bollei minute e minute e mone pore jay ami kichu khaini.

    tomra ki broto te ada o khao na?amader ada jeere dhone egulo chalee. peyanj, rosun, musoor dal eigulo bad jodio.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sayantani uposh ey shudhu phol doodh aar jol khaoa jaay ... obosyo nirjola uposh hole jol o chole na .... ada jire .. dhone er to kono kothaiii ashchhe na oshob to rannay laage ...

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  2. Jaya ... chotobelay ma kakima ra broto korle amader moja. Shara din sabu makha, chire makha koto phol diye ar raate luchi! Khub bhalo lagto! Tomar post ta khub helpful. :-)

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  3. ooo...eto gulo broto!! Ami kali pujo r broto ta jantam naa.....nice piece of information
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    ReplyDelete
  4. Sayantani,
    Sotti tai naki :-D..hain ada ta avoid kori kinto ada diye ranna hoye oposh barite kimba niramish ranna te ada nischoyi porey ..

    Sharmila,
    Thanks, eyi shob kotha mone kore bhabhlaam jey eyi post ta likhe pheli ..we are forgetting our culture somewhere deep down ..and in today's world traditional fasting rituals is certainly not the in-thing..political may be yes LOL..

    Kushi,
    Thanks for liking the post ..

    Thanks to all of you for droping by..
    hugs and smiles

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  5. can you tell me where can i get satyanarayan pujar panchali .....can anybody download the panchali for me plz , thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am not sure as Pujar Panchali is not easily available in abroad..however if you are in Kolkata ..can search n look out for Satyanarayan or even Lakhi Pujar Panchali in college street stores ..they might stock them ..

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  6. Can you please post some Bangali niramish recipe (healthy but tasty) that can be eaten during brata? Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. During fasting - brata 'folahaar' ... or dudh-sabo/ Sago pearl with milk...boiled vegetables like potato...with yogurt or milk .....yogurt shake ..like mango/strawberry etc..
      niramish ranna - omit garlic/onion in preparing vegetables.. ..masoor dal is also amish.... jeere ada bata- ginger n cumin seed paste is allowed in niramish ranna....hope it helps...

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  7. Khub sundar likhecho...good info...eisob niom sobsomoy mone/jana thake na...tomar lekhata helpful...brata ,uposh,niramish,bhat/ruti na khaoa sob kichui good for health ...amader traditions gulo very scientific amar mone hoi...tobe sudhu meyera noi...nari purush sobar mana uchit

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes,brato ta sobayi kar jonne ....and amar barite onek Purush ra O uposh korto n ekhon O korey ....and ek dom theek there is a valid scientific reason for these traditions....
      ekhon sobayi detox-diet korey like a trend..kinto amader tradition e eyi bhabhe he adi kaal thekhe lokera detox korto .....no need to do extra diet control ..everything is scientifically aligned here ..thanks

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  8. Je kono shoshti te ki coffee/ tea khawa allowed?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes tea/coffee is allowed .....no problem on that ..but limit the intake to 1-2 cups a day ..in fact tea/Coffee intake should be limited ..max 2 cups is sufficient on a normal working day...then more than that it becomes an addiction .....i personally like black tea but it depends on individuals choice n preference...

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  9. It is too helpful site.as i experienced today on my journey from odisa to kolkata i can remember the brotokotha even in train also.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Unknown for stopping by and appreciating ...

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