Month-long ritual of Swasthani Vrata Katha begins in Nepal

A month-long Hindu ritual in which the community members in Nepal worship Goddess Swasthani and recite religious sermons began on Friday.

Swasthani Vrata Katha0 usually begins from the full moon day of Poush every year as per the lunar calendar and lasts for a month.

It is mainly about telling the story of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati described in Skandha Purana (mythology) that belongs to the Hindu secondary scripture.

During the ritual, Hindus, especially women, observe a sort of penance for a month by bathing at the Sali River of Kathmandu.

A day before starting the Swasthani rituals, devotes clean their nails, take a bath and put on sacred clothes.

They take a bath in the morning and offer puja to Lord Shiva in the afternoon.

In the evening, people read out the Vrata Katha and offer Prasada to the audience.

Reading a chapter each day, they complete 31 chapters and conclude the ritual by paying obeisance to Goddess Swasthani on the final day of the month.