When can we do the Satyanārāyaṇa kathā — only on Pūrṇimā — and must the family fast?

any day is fine, though Pūrṇimā, Ekādaśī and Saṅkrānti are favoured; the hosts usually fast until the kathā and prasāda.

The Satyanārāyaṇa kathā is one of the most loved home pūjās, done for gratitude and new beginnings: a new house, a job, a wedding, a child’s birth, or simply every Pūrṇimā. The kathā itself says it may be done on any day, in the evening, with family and friends; Pūrṇimā, Ekādaśī and Saṅkrānti are especially popular.

The couple or person hosting it generally fasts until the pūjā is over, then eats the prasāda first. Others attending need not fast. The prasāda, sheera or panjīrī made with wheat or semolina, ghee, sugar, banana and tulasī, should be taken by everyone present, as the kathā stresses not to refuse or neglect it.

It can be done by a priest or by the family itself, reading the five chapters in Hindi or Sanskrit. Sincerity and the spirit of truthfulness, satya, are what the vrata is about.

Five chapters; prasāda with banana and tulasī · Source: Skanda Purāṇa (Revā Khaṇḍa, as traditionally attributed)

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