Sakat Chauth, also known as Sankashti Chaturthi or Ganesh Chauth, is a significant Hindu festival dedicated to Lord Ganesha. This day is observed with fasting, prayers, and devotion, seeking blessings for prosperity and removing obstacles. Sakat Chauth 2025 holds immense importance for devotees across India. Let’s explore the dates of this auspicious occasion, puja vidhi, benefits, and vrat katha.

Sakat Chauth 2025: Date and Time

Sakat Chauth 2025 will be observed on Saturday, January 18, 2025. The puja and fasting rituals are conducted during the evening hours after moonrise.

• Moonrise Timing: 9:07 PM (Local timings may vary)
• Chaturthi Tithi Begins: January 18, 2025, at 4:56 AM
• Chaturthi Tithi Ends: January 19, 2025, at 3:24 AM

Also Read: Mauni Amavasya 2025: Date, Time, Significance & Rituals to Follow

Significance of Sakat Chauth

Sakat Chauth is celebrated to honour Lord Ganesha, who is regarded as the remover of obstacles and the bestower of wisdom and prosperity. The festival is especially significant for mothers who pray for their children’s well-being and long lives.

1. Devotion to Lord Ganesha:
   • Worshipping Lord Ganesha on this day is believed to bring prosperity, success, and good fortune.
2. Observance of Fasting:
   • The vrat (fast) observed on Sakat Chauth is highly meritorious and helps overcome life difficulties.
3. Spiritual Cleansing:
   • Fasting and prayers purify the soul and strengthen one’s spiritual connection with the divine.

Importance of Sakat Chauth Vrat

Sakat Chauth is an important Hindu festival celebrated on the fourth day of the Krishna Paksha of the Hindu month of Kartik. It is widely observed to commemorate the marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Married women celebrate this day with great devotion and enthusiasm, fasting for their husband’s long life and well-being.

1. Strengthening the Marital Bond:
   • Sakat Chauth symbolizes the strong bond between a husband and wife. It is an opportunity for married women to express their love and devotion to their husbands and to pray for their good health and prosperity.
2. Festive Rituals:
   • On this day, married women dress up in their best clothes and jewellery and exchange gifts with their husbands. Women also perform rituals such as offering puja to the deities, keeping fast, and performing aarti for their husbands.
3. Bringing Good Luck:
   • Observing the Sakat Chauth vrat is believed to bring good luck and prosperity to the family. According to beliefs, Goddess Parvati blesses all married women with their husbands’ long and healthy lives when they observe the fast with devotion.

Sakat Chauth Puja Vidhi

The puja rituals of Sakat Chauth are simple but must be performed with devotion. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Preparations:
   • Clean the puja area and set up an altar with an idol or image of Lord Ganesha.
   • Decorate the altar with fresh flowers and durva grass, and light a diya (lamp).
2. Offerings:
   • Offer fruits, modak, laddoos, and other sweets to Lord Ganesha.
   • Include durva grass and betel leaves as they are considered sacred for Ganesha.
3. Chant Mantras:
   • Recite Ganesha mantras such as “Om Gan Ganapataye Namah” and the Ganesh Atharvashirsha.
4. Moon Worship:
   • After the moonrise, offer water (arghya) to the moon while praying to remove obstacles and ensure the well-being of family members.
5. Breaking the Fast:
   • After the puja, the vrat is concluded by consuming the prasad offered to Lord Ganesha.

Benefits of Observing Sakat Chauth

1. Removal of Obstacles:
   • Worshipping Lord Ganesha on Sakat Chauth helps people overcome challenges and succeed personally and professionally.
2. Child’s Well-being:
   • Mothers observe this vrat for their children’s health, happiness, and prosperity.
3. Spiritual Growth:
   • The fast and prayers enhance spiritual discipline and bring inner peace.
4. Fulfillment of Desires:
   • Devotees believe their heartfelt prayers and wishes are fulfilled by observing Sakat Chauth with sincerity.

Sakat Chauth Vrat Katha

According to mythology, Sakat Chauth Vrat Katha has two legendary stories connected to the event. Let us see the two Kathas of Sakat Chauth and pray to God to be one step closer to them.

First Story

Once, Goddess Parvati was taking a bath. She asked Lord Ganesha to stay at the door and allow nobody to enter at any cost. Like an obedient child, he followed his mother’s words. So, when Lord Shiva came to meet Goddess Parvati, Ganesha stopped him from entering. This made Shiva outrageous as, despite the polite requests, Ganesha didn’t agree to let him in. Angry Shiva went out of control and beheaded Ganesha with his Trishul.

When Parvati heard it, she rushed to see what happened. All she saw was Ganesha’s body dead on the floor, which devastated her. Urging to bring her son back, she sobbed and demanded this from Lord Shiva. Then Shiva replaced the son’s head with that of an elephant, bringing him back to life. Since that day, Sakat Chauth has been known as the rebirth of Lord Ganesha.

Second Story

In the second tale in mythology, a blind woman lived in a village with her son and his wife and was a strict worshipper of Lord Ganesha. Seeing her devotion, the Lord appeared and promised to give her whatever she wanted. The woman replied that she was unsure and didn’t know what to ask. In return, God suggested she take her son’s and his wife’s advice and help.

On their advice, the son asked her to demand money and wealth from Ganesha. However, her daughter-in-law asked her to wish for her grandson’s well-being. Seeing they both had personal needs to ask for, she planned to speak to her neighbours about it. They suggested she should ask for eyesight, which was the advice she liked.

The next day, when God appeared and asked for her answer, she wished for all the suggestions she got—wealth, a healthy body, a grandson, eyesight, etc. Since the Lord promised to give it all, he gave her what she requested. From that time, Sakat Chauth was known as an event in which women kept fast for their children and their well-being.

Also Read: Basant Panchami 2025: Saraswati Puja Rituals, Date & Shubh Muhurat

How to Celebrate Sakat Chauth 2025

1. Community Participation:
   • Join collective prayers and katha sessions in temples or community centres.
2. Charity and Donations:
   • Donate food, clothes, or money to the needy as an act of kindness and gratitude.
3. Prepare Special Foods:
   • Cook traditional delicacies like modak, puri, and sabudana kheer to offer during the puja.
4. Involve Family Members:
   • Encourage everyone in the family, especially children, to participate in the puja rituals and understand the festival’s significance.

Conclusion

Sakat Chauth 2025 is a day to immerse in devotion, seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha, and strengthen family bonds. By observing the vrat with sincerity and performing the puja rituals, devotees can invite prosperity, happiness, and success into their lives.

Wishing you a blessed and prosperous Sakat Chauth 2025!