Amavasya is the new moon, the last tithi of the dark fortnight in each lunar month. A standard year has 12 Amavasyas; 2026, with an intercalary Jyeshtha (Adhik Maas), carries 13, including an Adhika Amavasya on 14-15 June. Below is the full 2026 calendar, what each Amavasya marks (notably Mauni in January, Mahalaya in September, and Kartik in November coinciding with Diwali), and the household and ancestral practices associated with the day.
The 2026 Amavasya calendar
- 18 January (Sun): Magha Amavasya. Also called Mauni Amavasya.
- 17 February (Tue): Phalguna Amavasya.
- 19 March (Thu): Chaitra Amavasya. Last day of the lunar year; new year (Gudi Padwa, Ugadi) the next day.
- 17 April (Fri): Vaishakha Amavasya.
- 16 May (Sat): Jyeshtha Amavasya. Shani Amavasya (Saturday).
- 14-15 June (Sun-Mon): Adhika Jyeshtha Amavasya. The leap-month new moon.
- 14 July (Tue): Ashadha Amavasya.
- 12 August (Wed): Shravana Amavasya. Hariyali Amavasya in some regions.
- 10-11 September (Thu-Fri): Bhadrapada Amavasya. Mahalaya Amavasya, closing of Pitru Paksha.
- 10 October (Sat): Ashwin Amavasya. Sarva Pitru Amavasya alternative in some regions; Shani Amavasya.
- 8-9 November (Sun-Mon): Kartika Amavasya. Diwali night.
- 8 December (Tue): Margashirsha Amavasya.
What Amavasya marks
Amavasya is the lunar moment when the moon, sun and earth are aligned with the moon on the sun’s side, so no reflected sunlight reaches the earth. In the Hindu liturgical calendar Amavasya is the dark counterpart of Purnima, and a day of particular significance for two ritual domains: ancestral rites (tarpana, shraddha) and Tantric or Shakta practice.
The classical accounts read the moonless night as a window when the gateway between the realm of the living and the pitr-loka (ancestral realm) is open. Tarpana, the offering of water to the ancestors, is therefore preferentially performed on Amavasya. The most concentrated period for this is Pitru Paksha, the fifteen-day window ending on Mahalaya Amavasya in September.
The notable Amavasyas of 2026
- Mauni Amavasya (18 January 2026): the Magha Amavasya. Observed by maintaining mauna (silence) through the day. The classical pilgrimage is to Prayagraj for the Magh Mela bath at Triveni Sangam. The 2025 Maha Kumbh closed in February 2025; the 2026 Magh Mela is the smaller annual mela.
- Chaitra Amavasya (19 March 2026): the last day of the lunar year. Tarpana for ancestors before the new year opens.
- Adhika Amavasya (14-15 June 2026): the intercalary new moon, rare and treated as especially meritorious for tarpana.
- Mahalaya Amavasya (10-11 September 2026): the close of the fortnight when ancestors are honoured. The largest tarpana and shraddha day of the year for most Hindus. In Bengal, the Devi Mahatmya recitation is broadcast at dawn (the famous Birendra Krishna Bhadra recording).
- Kartika Amavasya (8-9 November 2026): Diwali night. The most visible Amavasya nationally; Lakshmi Puja and Kali Puja are both anchored to it.
Tarpana: the ancestral water offering
The most universal Amavasya observance is tarpana. The vidhi:
- Snana: bath before sunrise, ideally in a flowing river.
- Sankalpa: declaration naming the year, month, paksha, tithi and the intention of pitr-tarpana.
- The water offering: water mixed with black sesame is poured from the right hand cupped between thumb and forefinger, while reciting the names and gotras of the three previous generations (father’s father, father’s father’s father, etc., on both paternal and maternal sides).
- Pinda offering (on Mahalaya): small rice-balls of cooked rice, ghee and black sesame offered alongside the water on the most significant Amavasyas.
For households without a household priest, the tarpana can be performed simply at the home shrine with water from a Ganga vessel or any clean source. The shastric requirement is a flowing river; the practical compromise is water poured into a basin and disposed of in flowing water afterwards.
Shani Amavasya and Somvati Amavasya
Two specific weekday-Amavasya combinations carry their own names:
- Shani Amavasya: Amavasya falling on Saturday. The day’s planetary lord (Shani) overlaps the Amavasya darshanic frame. Shani temple visits and til (sesame) donations are standard. 2026 has Shani Amavasya on 16 May and 10 October.
- Somvati Amavasya: Amavasya falling on Monday. Particularly auspicious in many regional traditions for women who have lost a spouse or for child-vows. Pradakshina of a peepal tree is the classical observance. 2026 has Somvati Amavasya on 15 June (Adhik) and on 9 November (the day after Diwali, with Amavasya straddling into Monday).
Common questions
Is Amavasya inauspicious?
Not inherently. The classical reading is that Amavasya is treated as a day of withdrawal: not appropriate for new beginnings (weddings, business openings, journeys) but appropriate for inward rituals (tarpana, meditation, mantra japa). Lakshmi Puja on Kartika Amavasya is the most prominent counter-example; Diwali specifically uses the darkness as the symbolic backdrop against which lamps are lit.
Why is Mauni Amavasya observed in silence?
The Magha Amavasya falls in the heart of the cool dry winter, traditionally treated as the most auspicious month for tapas. Silence (mauna) is the simplest tapas; the day-long silence is read as a way to internalise the new moon. The pilgrimage to Prayagraj reinforces this with collective silence at the Sangam bath.
Should tarpana be performed every month or only at Pitru Paksha?
The classical rule is monthly on every Amavasya; the practical rule for most households is the annual concentration during Pitru Paksha and the death-anniversary of each named ancestor. Performing tarpana on every Amavasya is the more rigorous observance and is common in priestly families.
One limitation worth noting
For what it’s worth, the Adhika Maas Amavasya of 14-15 June 2026 is treated as especially meritorious for tarpana, but the precise day chosen (14 or 15 June) for the offering depends on the sunrise reckoning in your sampradaya. Different mathas publish different rulings. The household priest’s calendar is the binding source.
For deeper background see Wikipedia on Amavasya and the Drik Panchang 2026 Amavasya calendar.
