The monthly Shraddha and Tarpan for the ancestors on Amavasya, kept on the day whose afternoon Amavasya covers most.
Amavasya Shraddha Dates 2026
Magha Amavasya Shraddha
Phalguna Amavasya Shraddha
Chaitra Amavasya Shraddha
Vaishakha Amavasya Shraddha
Jyeshtha Amavasya Shraddha
Jyeshtha Adhika Amavasya Shraddha
Ashadha Amavasya Shraddha
Shravana Amavasya Shraddha
Bhadrapada Amavasya Shraddha
Sarva Pitru Amavasya
Kartika Amavasya Shraddha
Margashirsha Amavasya Shraddha
Amavasya Shraddha
What is Amavasya Shraddha?
Every Amavasya (new moon) is a day for remembering the ancestors. On it, families offer Tarpan, water with black sesame seeds, and a simple Shraddha for the pitrs. Many people who cannot perform a Shraddha on an ancestor's own tithi offer it on Amavasya instead.
Which day is it kept on?
The Shraddha belongs to Aparahna, the fourth fifth of the daytime. Amavasya Shraddha falls on the day whose Aparahna the Amavasya tithi covers most. This can differ from the Amavasya listed for the day at sunrise, and it matches the Darsha Amavasya days Drik Panchang gives. The dates on this page are for your location.
The Amavasya of Pitru Paksha is Sarva Pitru Amavasya (Mahalaya Amavasya), the most important Shraddha of the year, for all ancestors.
How it is observed
- Bathe early and offer water to the Sun.
- Offer Tarpan with water, black sesame seeds and kusha grass, facing south.
- Feed a Brahmin, the poor, cows or crows, and give food or clothes in charity.
- Light a lamp of sesame oil in the evening, often under a peepal tree.