Sheetala Ashtami is a sacred Hindu festival dedicated to Goddess Sheetala, the deity who protects devotees from fevers, smallpox and infectious diseases. It is observed on the Ashtami tithi (eighth day) of Krishna Paksha after Holi, mainly in North India, Rajasthan, Gujarat and parts of Central India.

On this day, mothers especially worship Sheetala Mata with deep faith for the health and safety of their children. The vrat is observed with simple, sattvic rituals, and devotees visit Sheetala Mata temples early in the morning to offer prayers, water, and special offerings prepared a day before.

Sheetala Ashtami is also popularly known as Basoda or Basora in many regions, because food is cooked a day earlier and offered cold the next morning. The vrat reminds devotees of purity, hygiene, and gratitude towards the divine forces that protect us from unseen illnesses.

Scriptures describe Goddess Sheetala as an incarnation of Mother Parvati or Maa Durga who controls the spread of infectious diseases and fevers. By worshipping her with devotion, devotees seek protection from epidemics, skin diseases and seasonal infections.

In traditional villages and towns, Sheetala Mata is regarded as the guardian of public health. Her temples are often located near ponds or outside the main village boundary, signifying her role in guarding the community from external diseases and negative energies.

Observing Sheetala Ashtami vrat with purity, charity and faith is believed to remove past karmic afflictions related to health, grant long life to children and bring peace to the home. The festival also spreads awareness about cleanliness, hygiene and careful handling of food and water.

• Cook simple, pure vegetarian food (usually the day before Ashtami) and keep it aside carefully for offering to Goddess Sheetala the next morning.
• Wake up before sunrise on Sheetala Ashtami, take a bath, wear clean clothes and maintain silence and purity of speech as much as possible.
• Visit a Sheetala Mata temple or worship her at home by installing her image or kalash, offering water, turmeric, neem leaves, and cool food items.
• Offer the saved food (Basoda bhog) to the Goddess first, then distribute it as prasad among family members and neighbours.
• Avoid freshly cooked hot food on this day as per local tradition, and consume only the offered prasad and simple, light meals.
• Perform charity by donating food, buttermilk, clothes or medicines to the poor and needy, especially children and the sick.
• Chant mantras and prayers dedicated to Sheetala Mata, such as the Sheetala Ashtak or simple invocations seeking health and protection.

Sheetala Ashtami emphasises cool, simple and easily digestible foods that symbolically pacify heat and feverish conditions:

• Basoda Khichdi: Rice and lentil preparation cooked the previous day and offered cold as prasad.
• Sweet Dishes: Ladoo, halwa or barfi prepared a day earlier and offered to the Goddess.
• Puri and Dry Sabzi: Simple wheat puris and vegetable dishes without heavy spices or onion-garlic.
• Buttermilk and Curd: Cooling dairy preparations symbolising relief from internal heat and fever.
• Neem Leaves and Water: Offered at the altar and sometimes tied at doorways as a symbol of protection from infections.