With the arrival of the monsoon, the religious month of Saawan is set to begin on 14 July 2022. Saawan is the fifth month that comes after the month of Aashad, as per the Hindu calendar. The entire Saawan month is dedicated to worshipping Lord Shiva. Saawan is also called the month of Shrawan in some regions of north India. Devotees abstain from non-vegetarian foods and observe fast for 16 consecutive Mondays starting the first Monday of the Saawan month. Tuesdays in the Saawan month are dedicated to worshipping Goddess Parvati, and devotees observe Mangal Gauri Vrat on this day.
Saawan 2022: Auspicious Dates:
Saawan month start date - July 14 (Thursday)
First Saawan Somwar Fast - July 18 (Monday)
Saawan month end date - August 12 (Friday)
(Also Read: Sawan Vrat Recipes: 5 Classic Recipes For Sawan Somvar Vrat)
Saawan 2022: History And Significance
According to the legends, Lord Shiva consumed poison from the ocean during this time to save the world. So, the month of Saawan is marked by praying to Lord Shiva seeking his blessings and protection of the world from all evils. During this month, many devotees march on foot for Kanwar Yatra. They bring back water from holy rivers and offer it to Shiva temples in their cities. Throughout the pilgrimage, the devotees are supposed to carry the Kanwar on their shoulders.
(Also Read: Sawan: 10 Delicious Fasting Recipes That You Can Prepare)
Saawan 2022: Fasting Rituals:
Most of the people quit non-vegetarian food during the entire month and many of them observe a fast on every Monday (Saawan Somwar) for a total of 16 Mondays (Solah Somwar ka vrat) starting from the first Monday. Of them, some choose to keep falahari vrat and others eat sattvik foods on the day.
Falahari Diet:
For falahari fasting, people discard cereal grains from their diet and consume milk, milk products, nuts, seeds and fruits. Some also add potatoes to their falahari diet. Potatoes can be cooked in fasting-special sendha namak. Drinks like fruit juice, coconut water and chaas are also preferred.
Sattvik Diet:
Whole grains are replaced with gluten-free millets and flours like amaranth, kuttu ka atta, samak rice and singhara flour. Sendha namak is used in place of regular salt to flavour the meals. Some of the popular meals for sattvik fasting are:
Kuttu Ki Poori, tikki or cheela
Makhane ki kheer or roasted makhanas
Samak ke chawal paired with vrat wale aloo or samak chawal ki khichdi or samak chawal ki kheer
Sabudana khichdi or sabudana kheer
Singhara atta ki barfi or samosa
Here's wishing you all an auspicious Saawan 2022!