Fasting in civilizations and religions.. Hindus fast on Mondays and Thursdays
Muslims around the world celebrate the advent of the blessed Ramadan, as the holy month witnesses the performance of the obligation of fasting , one of the most sacred Muslim rituals, an obligation, and one of the five pillars of Islam, as millions of Muslims gather daily throughout the blessed month of Ramadan to perform the obligation of fasting, obedience to God, and Tarawih prayers.
Fasting is of great importance to the Hindus, as its goal is to refine the soul and train it to dispense with worldly pleasures. The most famous fast among them is called “Sandhart,” which is its logic: “I will not eat, drink, or speak forever until my soul ascends to its Creator.”
According to the book “Al-Rayyan in the Concept of Fasting Among Religions: Scientific Facts - Medical Health - Psychological Insights” written by Hamad bin Ali Al-Safyan, there are specific days of the week for fasting. Followers of the god Shiva, who is the greatest god according to his followers, fast on Mondays, while followers of the god Vishnu fast on Mondays. Thursday. As for fasting on Tuesday, it is common among Hindus in southern India, as they eat before sunrise. There is also four-season fasting, with 9 days starting each season from sunset until sunrise the next day.
Fasting in Hinduism varies according to the personal beliefs of each individual, or according to the traditions followed in each region, as the followers of the god “Shiva” fast on Mondays, and the followers of “Vishnu” fast on Thursdays and religious celebrations, in addition to the spread of fasting on Tuesdays among Hindus, and they also fast for nine days. Days at the beginning of each season of the year, and fasting for half of each lunar month, during which they eat fruit and plant foods, abstain from eating meat, and do not break their fast until after the new moon comes.
While fasting methods vary, they range from abstaining from food and drink for 48 hours, or being limited to one meal a day, or eating certain types of food and not others, or eating their food before sunrise, abstaining until sunset, allowing them to drink liquids, and refraining from eating food. Animal products such as eggs and meat.
The fasting rituals of the Hindu population of North India differ, as they can only eat fruits and milk between sunrise and sunset, and when they fast on Thursday, they have special rituals. They listen to a story before eating breakfast, wear yellow clothes, prepare a table of foods of the same color, and prepare food. With ghee colored yellow, women sanctify the banana tree on this day and water it. There is also a different type of fasting common among Hindus called “htuahc awrak,” where a married woman fasts for the safety and health of her husband and in the hope of prolonging his life, and she breaks her fast when she sees the moon through a sieve.
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