*Pitru Paksha* — the "ancestors' fortnight" — is the dark half of the lunar month of Bhadrapada, sixteen lunar days set apart for honouring departed ancestors. It is one of the oldest continuously-observed Hindu practices, with explicit references in the *Manusmriti* and *Markandeya Purana*.
✦ When It Falls
The fortnight begins on Bhadrapada Purnima (full moon, sometimes counted as the first day) and ends on Bhadrapada Amavasya (new moon, *Sarvapitri Amavasya*). In the Gregorian calendar this typically falls in September–October.
✦ The Underlying Idea
Hindu tradition recognises three debts a person carries from birth — to the gods (*deva-rina*), to the sages (*rishi-rina*), and to the ancestors (*pitri-rina*). Pitru Paksha is the formal occasion to acknowledge the third — to remember those whose lives made one's own possible.
✦ Tithi-Wise Shraddha
The shraddha for a departed family member is performed on the lunar day *(tithi)* on which they died. If the death occurred on, say, Krishna Tritiya, the family performs shraddha on that tithi during Pitru Paksha. If the date is unknown, the *Sarvapitri Amavasya* serves as the universal day for all ancestors.
✦ A Simple Household Shraddha
Elaborate shraddha with a priest is the ideal. But where that is not possible, a respectful householder version retains the spirit:
- 1**Bath** in the morning, wear clean cotton clothes (white preferred).
- 2**Tarpana** — offer a stream of water with black sesame seeds and a few grains of rice in the south direction (south is the Pitru direction in classical cosmology), naming each ancestor remembered.
- 3**Cooked food offering** — prepare a vegetarian meal with kheer (rice pudding) or the deceased's favoured dish. Place a portion on a leaf in the courtyard or near the threshold for crows (the *kaaka-bali* — crows are traditionally honoured as messengers of the ancestors), a portion for cows, a portion for any wandering ascetic.
- 4**Feed a brahmin or any deserving person** — feeding even one person on this day, with full respect, is the heart of the rite.
- 5**Charity** — a small donation in the ancestor's name.
✦ What is Avoided
Most families avoid starting new ventures, marriages, housewarming, or buying new vehicles during Pitru Paksha. The fortnight is for inward remembrance, not outward beginnings.
✦ A Note on Spirit
Pitru Paksha is not about appeasement of restless ghosts. The classical understanding is closer to a structured grief practice — making space, year after year, to remember those who came before, and to acknowledge that one's life is a continuation of theirs.