What are the popular Navratri 2025 vrat rules and fasting guidelines for devotees?

Navratri fasting in 2025 follows traditional rules which vary slightly by region, but the main guidelines are:- Allowed foods: Fruits, milk, dry fruits, sabudana, kuttu (buckwheat), singhara flour, and certain vegetables like potato and pumpkin. - Avoided foods: Non-vegetarian items, onion, garlic, alcohol, and regular grains like rice and wheat. - Water intake: Devotees may drink water, coconut water, and milk-based drinks during fast. - Meal frequency: Some eat once a day (Ekahara), while others eat twice (Phalahar). - Prayer: Morning and evening aarti, chanting of Durga Chalisa, and offering flowers. - Breaking the fast: On the 8th or 9th day with Kanya Pujan, feeding young girls.Fasting is not just about food, but also about mental purity, avoiding anger, negative thoughts, and maintaining devotion.

Some people think fasting means starving, but that is not true in Navratri 2025. The vrat is about balance. If you have health conditions like diabetes, you can still participate by following light meals of fruits, milk, and nuts. You should avoid heavy fried items even if they are vrat-friendly, because the real purpose is self-control. Also, maintain regular prayers, offer water to Kalash daily, and do meditation. Following these guidelines, you can keep both health and devotion together.

I have been fasting during Navratri since childhood, and in 2025, the main rule will remain the same: follow a sattvik lifestyle. You can eat light snacks like roasted makhana, fruit chaat, and sabudana khichdi. Salt used is generally sendha namak (rock salt) instead of regular salt. Many devotees observe strict fasts by consuming only water or fruits for nine days. The purpose is not only physical cleansing but also spiritual discipline. The last day is significant as devotees break their fast after performing kanya puja. This tradition symbolizes respect to feminine power (Shakti).