Amavasya Vrat: vidhi, katha and rules
Pitru (ancestors) and Lord Vishnu · Every new moon (Amavasya)
Amavasya is the new moon day, when the moon is not seen. Traditionally, it is a day to remember our ancestors, with pitru tarpan and deepdaan. Many people also fast on this day, and some keep it with a sankalp of 12 Amavasyas.
🗓 Coming dates (Delhi)
- Monday, 9 November 2026
- Tuesday, 8 December 2026
- Thursday, 7 January 2027
- Saturday, 6 February 2027
- Monday, 8 March 2027
- Tuesday, 6 April 2027
- Thursday, 6 May 2027
- Friday, 4 June 2027
Next Shukla paksha begins around Tuesday, 10 November
How it is kept (vidhi)
- Bathe in the morning, at a river or holy place if you can.
- Offer tarpan to the ancestors with water, black sesame and kusha grass.
- Set aside a portion of food for a cow, crows and a dog.
- Give food, clothes or grain to someone in need.
- In the evening, light a diya under a peepal tree and at the door of your home.
Common practices
- Many people fast through the day or have one simple meal.
- Traditionally, the day is kept with sattvik food and a calm mind.
- Somvati Amavasya (on a Monday) and Shani Amavasya (on a Saturday) are seen as special.
The katha
There is no one fixed katha for Amavasya. It is a day of remembering.
Picture an old house on an Amavasya morning. The grandmother wakes first and takes the children with her to the river. There, the father offers water with black sesame and kusha grass, quietly saying the names of his parents and grandparents. The children ask why. The grandmother smiles and says these are the people who gave us our name, our home and our ways, and today we are saying thank you to them.
Back home, a simple meal is cooked. A little is set aside for a cow, a little for the crows and a little for a dog, and some food is given to a family in need. In the evening, one diya is lit under the peepal tree and another at the door, so the dark night has a little light.
The children go to bed feeling that the family is bigger than the people in the house. That is the feeling of Amavasya: gratitude to those who came before us.
Retold in our own words from the traditional story.
Udyapan
There is no one fixed udyapan for Amavasya. Those who take a sankalp of 12 Amavasyas often complete it on the last one by offering food, daan and deepdaan in their ancestors' names. Many families choose a Somvati Amavasya for it.
Questions
- What is commonly done on Amavasya?
- Traditionally: tarpan for the ancestors, daan for people in need, food for a cow, crows and a dog, and a diya under the peepal tree in the evening. Many people also fast.
- What is Somvati Amavasya?
- When Amavasya falls on a Monday, it is called Somvati Amavasya. Many married women walk around a peepal tree on this day.
This information is awaiting review by a pandit. Traditions differ by family and region.