Blood moon total lunar eclipse: Should you fast during Chandra Grahan 2025? Know dos and don'ts to follow during sutak

Blood moon: Many people observe Sutak rituals and spiritual guides advise to fast during a lunar eclipse. But is there a scientific basis behind these claims?

India will witness one of the most spectacular astronomical events of the decade - a total lunar eclipse - on the night of September 7-8. It is this year’s second and final lunar eclipse. Popularly known as a Blood Moon, this celestial phenomenon occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow that gives the lunar surface a deep red glow. The eclipse will begin taking shape around 8:57 pm IST, with the rare Blood Moon phase unfolding from 11 pm to 12:22 am on September 8, lasting around 82 minutes and offering a rare and vivid spectacle for sky-watchers nationwide.

India will witness a rare total lunar eclipse, also known as a blood moon, on the night of September 7 and 8. (AFP)

The rare event will also be visible from parts of Europe, Africa, eastern Australia, and New Zealand, but will not be visible to people in North and South America.

While total lunar eclipses are always rare, this one is especially significant since it also coincides with Pitru Paksha Purnima, a day revered for ancestral rituals. In Hindu tradition, many people observe fasting and other rites during Chandra Grahan, seeing it as an auspicious time for spiritual reflection, purification, and performing sacred rituals to honour their ancestors. Here’s why many choose to fast during a lunar eclipse, and why traditional beliefs caution against consuming food during this celestial event.

Sutak rituals and food

In Hindu tradition, the period before and during a lunar eclipse, known as Sutak, is considered spiritually sensitive and inauspicious. It begins roughly nine hours before totality and continues until the eclipse ends, according to Pratidin Time. During Sutak, many households avoid eating, cooking or performing auspicious activities, seeing it as a sacred time for reflection and self-discipline. Temples often remain closed and reopen only after purification rituals have been carried out after the eclipse.

Sadhguru explained in an April 2015 blog on Isha Foundation’s website that a lunar eclipse triggers energy cycles compressed into just a couple of hours, similar to a full moon’s effects: “During lunar eclipses, what would happen in 28 days over a full lunar cycle is happening in a subtle way over the course of two to three hours of the eclipse. In terms of energy, the earth’s energy is mistaking this eclipse as a full cycle of the moon.”

In this heightened state, cooked food is believed to deteriorate, he shared: “Certain things happen in the planet where anything that has moved away from its natural condition will deteriorate very fast. This is why while there is no change in raw fruits and vegetables, there is a distinct change in the way cooked food is before and after the eclipse. What was nourishing food turns into poison.” Hence, fasting is advised to keep the body light, alert, and energetically aligned.

Traditional beliefs also caution that pregnant women, children, and the elderly are more vulnerable during eclipses, according to a September 4 report on Zee News. Avoiding food and staying indoors are seen as protective measures. While modern science disproves any physical harm, these practices persist as cultural safeguards based on traditional scriptures.

What does science say?

Astronomers and scientists agree that eclipses pose no physical danger and there’s no scientific basis for food turning toxic during a lunar eclipse. According to an interview by Rediff with Niruj Mohan Ramanujam, Head of Science, Communication, Public Outreach and Education (SCOPE) Section, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, lunar eclipses are simply Earth’s shadow crossing the Moon - a breathtaking yet harmless natural occurrence. Observers can safely enjoy the event, eat, and carry on with normal activities without fear.