The purpose of observing weekday fast is to get the favorable results from the nine planets. Hence, the weekday fasts are considered significant. This Vrat is kept on a specific day of a week. Weekday fast are mainly observed to reduce the unfavorable conditions and defects of planets. Also, these fast are observed to please different God and Goddess of different days. Like on Tuesday, Lord Hanuman is worshipped. On Friday Goddess is worshipped for getting happiness and wealth.
Friday fast is done for Lord Shukra (Venus), Goddess Santoshi. Goddess Vaibhav Lakshmi is also worshiped on this day. All these three fasts are observed in different ways.
Santoshi Maa Vratkatha
Once there was an old lady. She had only one son. After the marriage of her son, she used to make her daughter-in-law do all the house work. But, she never gave her proper food. Boy used to see all these things, but could never say anything to his mother. His wife was busy the whole day in work. She used to make cow dung cakes, prepare chapattis, clean the utensils, wash clothes. Doing all these works her day used to get over.
After lot of thinking and planning, the boy said to his mother “Mother, I am going abroad.” Mother liked the thing and gave him permission to go. After this, he went to his wife and said “I am going abroad. Give me a token of yours.” Wife said “I don’t have anything as a sign to give you.” Saying this, she fell in the feet of her husband and started crying. Because of this, a mark of hand mixed in cow dung was made on the shoes of man.
Oppressions of the old lady increased after the going of son. Once, her daughter-in-law became very upset and went to the temple. There she saw many women worshiping. She enquired about the fast from those ladies. They said, they were observing the fast of Goddess Santoshi. They also said, by this fast all sorts of sufferings are vanished.
Women told her that, on Friday after completing the routine work, Puja of Santoshi Mata should be done with full faith by taking pure water in a pot with gram and jaggery. Don’t eat any thing with a sour taste nor gift to anyone. Have meal only once.
Hearing the procedure of fast, she started observing it with full patience on every Friday. By the grace of Goddess, a letter came from her husband. After some day, he had sent money as well. She became happy and again observed the fast. She went to the temple and told all the ladies that she received the letter and money from her husband by the blessings of Goddess Santoshi. She said “O mother! When my husband will return back, I will do the Udyapan (Conclusion) of the fast.
Once Goddess Santoshi came in the dream of her husband and asked the reason of his not going back home. Then he replied that all items of Seth(moneylender) were not sold. And, money had also not come up till now. Next day he told everything of the dream to Seth and asked permission to go home. But, the Seth refused. By the grace of Goddess, many buyers came and purchased gold, silver and many other things. The indebted also returned money. Now the moneylender allowed him to go back home.
After going home, he gave lot of money to his mother and wife. Then, wife said to do the Udyapan of the Vrat of Goddess Santoshi. She invited everyone and did all the preparations for Udyapan. A lady living nearby started feeling jealous seeing her happiness. The lady taught her children to ask for sour food item while having meal.
At the time of Udyapan, children started insisting to have sour stuff. Daughter-in-law gave the children some money to make them quiet. Children went to shop and started eating tamarind, brought from that money. Goddess got angry and showed wrath on her. Servants of king caught her husband and stated taking him. Then some one told her, children ate Imli of the money, during Udyapan. She again took the resolution of doing the Udyapan of Vrat.
After taking the resolution when see was coming out of the temple, she saw her husband approaching to her. Husband said that the king is asking for the tax of the money earned. Next Friday, she again did the Udyapan of fast in a systematic manner. Goddess Santoshi was pleased. After nine month, the lady gave birth to a beautiful son. Now the mother, husband and wife, all started living happily by the grace of Goddess Santoshi.
Santoshi Maa Vrat Pooja on Friday
Collect this things doing a Vrats
1 Kalash (a pot which contains water)
Betel leaves
Flowers
Camphor for aarti
Incense Sticks
Diyas (an oil lamp usually made from clay, with a cotton wick dipped in ghee or oil)
Turmeric
Vermillion
Photo of Santoshi Maa and a book which contains the story
Coconut for kalash (continue with the same coconut till you complete Pooja)
A wooden stool for placing the idol
Rice mixed with turmeric
Dry whole channa (chickpeas), jiggery (unrefined brown sugar made from palm sap) and green banana for Prasad
Start a Pooja
Select the appropriate place for worship and clean it thoroughly.
After taking bath on Friday morning, place the photo in the pooja place, decorate it with flowers and place a small Kalash.
Offer prayers to Lord Ganesh, to have success in business, to remove poverty and destruction of evil, then mother Riddhi Siddhi. Prayer to wealth, gold, silver, pearl, and other gems.
Read the story of Santoshi Maa. Make the listeners say “Santoshi Mata ki Jai” all the time.
Before reading the Santoshi Mata story, fill water in the kalash, and on top of it, keep a small bowl filled with channa and jaggery. At the end of the story, perform Santoshi Mata Ki Aarti and sprinkle water in the vessel in every corner of the house.
The remaining water should be poured into the Tulsi plant.
Distribute the Prasad to the listeners.
During the day, ensure not to eat or touch anything which is sour such as Curd and Lemon. This is to be strictly followed. Otherwise, it may lose the benefits of fasts and prayers. Fasting can be observed the entire day or only one time in a day.
This way, you need to do this for 16 weeks on Friday. and After completing the 16 weeks, you will be required to do Udyapan – that is offering food to kids. Udyapan is the closing ceremony of this ritual. On this day also, you should read the story and perform Aarti, like the Vrat, and then distribute the Prasad. Keep in mind that there should not be any sour item in the house and you should offer food to eight boys. If the children are closely related to your family, do not call from outside. However, if there are only fewer children from close family, you can call children from the Brahmins, relatives or neighbors’ children. You should not give them any sour item or money. They can be given Dakshina, cloth or fruits.
Women told her that, on Friday after completing the routine work, Puja of Santoshi Mata should be done with full faith by taking pure water in a pot with gram and jaggery. Don’t eat any thing with a sour taste nor gift to anyone. Have meal only once.
Offer prayers to Lord Ganesh, to have success in business, to remove poverty and destruction of evil, then mother Riddhi Siddhi. Prayer to wealth, gold, silver, pearl, and other gems. 
.jpg "Story Of Shravan Monday(Somvar)")
