Pitru Paksha begins · Pitru Paksha

Culture of origin: Hindu · Cultural

Holiday sources: Hinduism

Pitru Paksha, "the fortnight of the ancestors", is a 16-lunar-day period in which Hindus honour their dead ancestors with shraddha rites, above all food offerings. The food is set out on the roof, and the offering is held to be accepted if a crow eats it; a cow and a dog are fed, and Brahmin priests are given food. Gaya is a special place for the rite and holds a fair in these weeks. The period is held to be inauspicious. Drik Panchang counts it from the Bhadrapada full moon or the day after; the date given here is the day after.