Pitru Paksha Begins 2026: Date, Pratipada Shradh and the Fortnight Tithi by Tithi

Pitru Paksha is a fortnight of the waning moon set aside to remember and honour one's ancestors, the pitrs. Traditionally, families offer food, water and prayers so that departed forebears are satisfied and bless the household. The period is widely regarded as unsuitable for starting new ventures, weddings or major purchases, though how strictly this is followed differs by family and region.

Each day of the fortnight corresponds to a lunar tithi, and a shradh is usually performed on the tithi matching the day an ancestor passed away, regardless of the calendar date. So someone who died on a Pratipada, in either paksha, is typically remembered on the first day. The fortnight closes with Sarva Pitru Amavasya, commonly used for ancestors whose tithi is unknown. For the exact date of each later tithi in your city, check your local panchang, as tithis can shift, skip or repeat across the fortnight.

Sunrise is at 6:12 AM and sunset at 6:12 PM. Moonrise is at 6:25 PM. The nakshatra is Uttara Bhadrapada until 11:08 AM, 27 September 2026, with the Moon in Meen (Pisces) and the Sun in Kanya (Virgo). Yoga is Vriddhi until 11:17 AM, 27 September 2026, and karana is Balava until 9:43 AM, 27 September 2026. Abhijit muhurat is 11:48 AM to 12:36 PM (48 minutes), and Rahu kaal is 4:42 PM to 6:12 PM (1 hour 30 minutes).

Tradition generally favours the midday hours for shradh rites rather than early morning or evening. On 27 September, Abhijit muhurat from 11:48 AM to 12:36 PM falls in this midday span, and the tithi remains Pratipada throughout. Many families avoid Rahu kaal, 4:42 PM to 6:12 PM. Exact preferred windows vary by tradition, so follow your family priest or local panchang for precise timings.

Customs vary widely by family and region. Common elements include tarpan (offering water, often with sesame and kusha grass), preparing simple sattvic food for the ancestors, feeding Brahmins, cows, crows or those in need, and quiet remembrance. Many households keep the fortnight simple and avoid celebrations. Treat these as broad traditions rather than fixed rules, and follow what your family practises.

The dates and timings are the same for everyone in a city, and the fortnight is primarily a time of remembrance rather than a period of bad luck. Traditional interpretation holds that its personal significance depends on one's own chart, but this is guidance, not a certain outcome. Melooha can check how a period relates to your own birth chart, and it does not use fear-based predictions.