Significance
Child Welfare: Mothers observe this day for the well-being, prosperity, and longevity of their children.
Fasting and Rituals: Mothers typically fast from sunrise to moonrise, without consuming food or water.
Ahoi Mata Worship: The day involves worshipping Ahoi Mata, a form of Goddess Parvati, who is believed to bless children with health and longevity.
Rituals
Early Morning Preparations: Mothers wake up early, take a bath, and often draw the image of Ahoi Mata on the wall or create a similar setup.
Puja (Worship): Ahoi Mata is worshipped with offerings like milk, rice, and other grains. The puja thali (plate) usually includes a diya (lamp), roli (red powder), and rice.
The narration of Ahoi Ashtami Katha: The story related to Ahoi Ashtami is narrated. The legend often tells of a woman who accidentally killed a cub while digging soil and was cursed until Ahoi Mata blessed her.
Fasting: Mothers fast throughout the day, breaking it after sighting the stars or the moon in the evening. Some traditions require sighting the moon through a sieve.
Charitable Acts: Charity and feeding the needy are considered auspicious activities on this day.
Legend
The legend associated with Ahoi Ashtami is about a woman who accidentally killed a cub while digging soil. She was cursed and her children started dying. After praying to Ahoi Mata, she was forgiven, and her remaining children were blessed with long lives.
Observance in Different Regions
While the essence of the festival remains the same, the specific rituals and customs can vary slightly across different regions and communities within North India. Ahoi Ashtami holds deep cultural and spiritual significance, emphasizing the bond between mothers and their children and the power of maternal devotion.
Rituals and Traditions of Ahoi Ashtami
Observance of Vrat or fasting is the highlight of Ahoi Ashtami. The Women in the North of India wake up early in the morning, even before sunrise, and have some refreshments before going to the temple to offer their prayers. The fasting starts after a prayer in the temple and it goes on until the moon appears. Some women break their fast as soon as the first stars show up in the sky.A picture of Ahoi Ma or Ahoi Bhagawati is drawn and painted on the wall. Some women also draw pictures of cubs. Prints or paintings of Ahoi Mata are now placed instead of hand drawings or paintings. They place a bowl of water before it. A red thread or a thread dipped/dyed in vermilion is tied around the bowl making sure it is not twisted while doing so. The ends of the thread are dipped in turmeric. This decorated bowl is kept to the left of the picture of Ahoi Mata.
A plate with grains is placed at the center of the picture. Women in the household offer Halwa, Puri, channa, jower, and other foodstuff. Some money and coins are placed before the picture. An elderly lady in the respective household reads the story of the Ahoi Mata, while other women in the household listen to it. After the story reading is completed, food and money kept before the picture are distributed to the children in the house.
Certain families make a garland out of silver or gold coins. When there is a new child born in the family or when their son gets married, they add a new coin to the garland. They keep this garland safe to be used for the coming years. They use the garland year after year for the Ahoi Mata prayers. Thus the observance of Ahoi Ashtami is passed on from one generation to another to keep up the tradition.
Legendary Story behind Ahoi
The Curse and the Blessing
Once upon a time, there lived a woman in a village who had seven sons. As the festive season of Diwali approached, she decided to renovate and decorate her home. To get soil for the renovations, she went to the forest. While digging the soil, her spade accidentally killed a cub that belonged to a lioness.
The lioness was devastated and cursed the woman, saying that she would lose one of her sons every year. True to the curse, the woman lost her sons one by one each year. Distraught and desperate to save her last remaining son, she sought help from the village elders and priests.
Seeking Forgiveness
The elders and priests advised her to pray to Goddess Ahoi (a form of Goddess Parvati) and seek her forgiveness. They instructed her to observe a fast on the Ashtami (eighth day) of the Krishna Paksha (waning phase of the moon) in the month of Kartik and perform specific rituals to please the goddess.
Observing the Fast
Determined to save her last son, the woman observed a strict fast on the designated day. She drew the image of Ahoi Mata on the wall and placed an earthen pot filled with water in front of it. She offered prayers, milk, rice, and other grains to the goddess, seeking her blessings for the well-being and longevity of her remaining son.
The Blessing of Ahoi Mata
Moved by the woman’s sincere devotion and penance, Ahoi Mata appeared before her and forgave her for the accidental killing of the cub. The goddess blessed the woman’s last son with a long life and assured her that her other sons would be reincarnated in her family in due time.
Celebrating Ahoi Ashtami
Since then, the tradition of observing Ahoi Ashtami has continued. Mothers fast and perform the rituals on this day, praying for the health, happiness, and longevity of their children. The fast is broken after sighting the stars or the moon in the evening.
अहोई पूजा और व्रत कथा के बारे में हिंदी में पढ़िये, क्लिक करें