Question 1

Why can nothing new be started during Pitru Paksha?

Accepted Answer

The fortnight is held to belong to the ancestors rather than the living — the Pitrs are said to visit their descendants during it, and the household's attention is owed to them. So weddings, house-warmings, vehicle purchases and new ventures are deferred to the Navratri that follows immediately, which is regarded as one of the most auspicious stretches of the year. Note that this is custom rather than a Muhurat prohibition: routine work, treatment and study go on as usual.

Question 2

Why is Sharad Navratri sometimes eight days and sometimes ten?

Accepted Answer

Because Navratri counts Tithis, not sunrises. A Tithi can be skipped when it begins and ends between two sunrises (Tithi Kshaya), which compresses the nine nights into eight days, or it can span two sunrises (Tithi Vriddhi), stretching them to ten. The nine Tithis from Shukla Pratipada to Navami are always observed in full; only the number of calendar days changes.

Question 3

Does Karva Chauth fall in Ashwin or Kartika?

Accepted Answer

It is the fourth day of a dark fortnight, four days after the Full Moon that follows Dussehra. In the Purnimanta reckoning of North India — where the fast is most widely kept — that places it in Kartika. In the Amanta reckoning it falls in Ashwin. As with Janmashtami, the day itself is the same; only the month name differs.

Question 4

How long does the month of Ashwin last?

Accepted Answer

A lunar month runs about 29.5 days — the time the Moon takes to return to the same phase relative to the Sun. Because that figure is not a whole number of days and the Moon's speed varies, Ashwin does not begin at the same clock time each year, and its length can differ by several hours from one year to the next. The begin and end timestamps listed above are computed for your own location rather than quoted from a fixed table.

Question 5

Why do the Amanta and Purnimanta dates for Ashwin differ?

Accepted Answer

They are two different conventions for where a month starts. An Amanta month runs New Moon to New Moon and is the standard across South and West India — Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat. A Purnimanta month runs Full Moon to Full Moon and is standard across North India. The Purnimanta Ashwin therefore begins about a fortnight earlier and its dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) comes first, while in the Amanta reckoning the bright fortnight comes first. The two systems agree on which Tithi a given day is; they disagree only on which month to file it under. Use the toggle above to switch between them.

Question 6

Can Ashwin occur twice in one year?

Accepted Answer

Yes, though rarely. Twelve lunar months fall about eleven days short of a solar year, so roughly every 32 or 33 months an extra month — Adhika Maas, also called Mala Maas or Purushottama Maas — is inserted to keep the lunar calendar aligned with the seasons. The extra month takes the name of the month that follows it, so an Adhika Ashwin is followed by a Nija (true) Ashwin. Rites of passage such as weddings, sacred-thread ceremonies and house-warmings are traditionally deferred out of the Adhika month, while recitation, charity and pilgrimage are held to be especially meritorious in it.

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