Hartalika Teej
what is eaten, and how to hold it
हरतालिका तीजHartalika Teej
The third day of the waxing fortnight in Bhadrapada — usually August or September.
మూలం·Published accounts of Hartalika Teej as commonly observed·customs differ by family, region and sampradaya·జూలై 2026న సమీక్షించాం
How long Hartalika Teej runs
≈ 24hours
Approximate, as the dataset states it. The exact length turns on your date and where you are. A 24-hour nirjala fast, kept overnight. A nirjala fast of roughly 24 hours in its full form, kept overnight with a night vigil, and broken the following morning after puja.
As the dataset states it: About 24 hours, including a night largely without sleep in many observances.
మూలం·Published vrat traditions + IFCT 2017·Hartalika Teej entry·జూలై 2026న సమీక్షించాం
What Hartalika Teej is
Hartalika Teej is kept most widely in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Nepal, traditionally by married women and by unmarried women praying for a good husband. In its full form it is nirjala — without food or water — for about 24 hours, with a night vigil.
It falls in Bhadrapada, which in most of North India means heat and high humidity. The combination of a dry fast, a sleepless night and monsoon humidity is why this observance sits alongside Chhath and Nirjala Ekadashi in the demanding tier on this site.
Customs vary. Whether the fast is kept nirjala or with water, whether the night is kept awake, and what the previous evening's meal contains differ across regions and families.
How this entry is drawn, and how the food is counted
- The observance is read from published accounts of Hartalika Teej and written as సాధారణంగా కనిపించేది — never as required, never as correct. Where households differ, the entry says they differ.
- The arc above places the observed span between named stations of the day — sunrise, midday, sunset, moonrise — and never between times. Sehri, iftar, moonrise and sunset are local and religiously significant, and this site publishes none of them.
- The length is taken from the range the dataset itself states, as a range. Where the length turns on latitude and season, no duration is printed at all.
- Food energy is per the serving each item is really eaten in, from IFCT 2017 (ICMR–NIN) where the table has the food, and from a named alternative where it does not.
- Every food is reconciled against Atwater factors on each build, and a page that fails to reconcile does not ship.
serving kcal = per-100 g kcal × (serving g ÷ 100) energy check = 4·protein + 4·carbohydrate + 9·fat (±15%, ±20% high-fibre) day shape = observed span, station → station (no clock times, ever)
What is customarily eaten, and what is set aside
Described as commonly observed. Your own family's practice is the one that applies.
Commonly eaten
- A meal the previous evening, customarily satvik, in many households with sargi-like preparations
- Nothing during the fast in its full form
- Broken the next morning after puja, with prasad and fruit
Customarily set aside
- Food and water for the duration, in the full observance
- Partial versions with fruit or water are kept by many, particularly older women and those who are unwell
మూలం·Published accounts of Hartalika Teej·reported, not prescribed; regional practice varies and the variation is the practice·జూలై 2026న సమీక్షించాం
The food, with the numbers
Foods commonly associated with Hartalika Teej, at the serving each is really eaten in. Every one has its own page with the full breakdown.
| Food | One serving is | Calories | Protein | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plain Water | 1 glass · 250 g | 0 kcal | 0.0 g | 0.0 g |
| Tender Coconut Water | 1 coconut · 250 g | 50 kcal | 0.5 g | 11.3 g |
| Banana | 1 medium banana · 100 g | 105 kcal | 1.3 g | 24.0 g |
| ఆవు పాలు (ఫుల్ క్రీమ్) | 1 glass · 200 g | 124 kcal | 6.4 g | 9.0 g |
| Dates (Khajoor) | 2 dates · 16 g | 46 kcal | 0.4 g | 10.9 g |
| Curd (Dahi) | 1 katori · 150 g | 90 kcal | 4.7 g | 4.5 g |
| Fruit Chaat | 1 plate · 200 g | 114 kcal | 1.6 g | 25.4 g |
| Nimbu Pani (Shikanji) | 1 glass · 250 g | 100 kcal | 0.0 g | 25.0 g |
One serving of each of these 8 items would come to about 629 kcal — a scale check, not a menu. Hartalika Teej is not a calorie target and this table is not a plan.
వ్రత ఆహారాల ఖర్చు, 100 g కి కాకుండా ఒక్కో సర్వింగ్కు లెక్కించినది.
మూలం·Published vrat traditions + IFCT 2017·per stated serving weight·జూలై 2026న సమీక్షించాం
How to hold it without wrecking the week
This is the part nobody publishes well. None of it asks you to change the observance — training, sleep and meal timing are the variables you control, and the fast is not.
Training
Not a training day, and not a training morning afterwards either — a dry fast plus a broken night is the combination that makes people faint. Walk if you want to move.
Sleep
The vigil is the second stressor. Sleeping well the night before helps; expecting to function normally at work the following day usually does not.
Blood sugar
A 24-hour dry fast requires a specific medication plan for anyone on insulin or sulfonylureas, made in advance with a doctor.
Hydration
Nothing can be done during it. The day before is what you control: normal fluid, not excessive, and avoid heavy sweating. Rehydrate gradually afterwards.
The specific risk with Hartalika Teej
Humidity is the specific hazard here — sweat evaporates poorly in a monsoon August, so the body cools less efficiently and fluid is lost anyway. Dizziness on standing, a headache that does not clear, nausea, cramping or fainting mean sit down, get help, and take fluid. Pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with diabetes and anyone on regular medication should discuss a modified observance in advance.
Who should not fast · Fasting and blood sugar · Hydration during fasting · Sources
Questions asked about Hartalika Teej
Is Hartalika Teej kept without water?
In its full form, yes — nirjala for about 24 hours. Partial versions with water or fruit are widely kept and widely accepted, particularly by those for whom the full form is not safe.
How should it be broken?
Gently, after the morning puja — water first, then fruit and prasad, then a proper meal a little later. A very large meal straight onto a day-long dry fast usually causes nausea.
Related observances
మూలం·Published vrat traditions + IFCT 2017·observance accounts and food composition·జూలై 2026న సమీక్షించాం
Practices are described as సాధారణంగా కనిపించేది; customs differ by family, region, community and sampradaya, and this site is not an authority on any of them. Food values come from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR–NIN), the older ICMR–NIN tables, USDA FoodData Central, named composition studies and the shared ThaliFacts dataset, reconciled against Atwater factors on every build. Which source applies to which food is listed per food, and every source carries the date it was last checked. General information only — not medical or religious guidance. Fasting is not safe for everyone, particularly during pregnancy or with diabetes or other conditions. Speak to a doctor first.
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