Āḍi Amāvāsai is the new moon of the Tamil solar month Āḍi, when the Sun transits Karkaṭaka at the start of Dakṣiṇāyana. Tamil custom treats this half of the year as closely tied to the ancestors, so the Amāvāsyā of Āḍi is one of the most important days for pitṛ tarpaṇam after Mahālaya Amāvāsyā. Families offer water and black sesame to departed ancestors, often after a sea or river bath. Tarpaṇam and dāna on this day are held to please the ancestors and bring their blessings on the family. How the day is fixed: The day is the one in the Tamil solar month Āḍi, with the Sun in Karkaṭaka, on which Amāvāsyā prevails at local sunrise. Āḍi runs from about mid-July to mid-August, and the day often falls close to Karkaṭaka Saṅkramaṇa. Keep in mind: Tithi timings shift every year and from place to place. Confirm the civil date and the tarpaṇam muhūrta against a current Tamil pañcāṅga for your town. This year: The 2026 date shown here is worked out from sunrise at the place you chose, so in another city the same day can fall a day earlier or later. Pitṛ tarpaṇam: The eldest son or male heirs offer water mixed with black sesame to the pitṛs, facing south, according to family gotra and śākhā. Some families add piṇḍa-dāna under a priest's guidance, and tarpaṇam may also be done at home. Sacred bath and dāna: Crowds bathe in the sea at Rameswaram's Agni Tīrtham, Dhanushkodi and Kanyakumari, and in temple tanks such as Thiruvanaikaval, while inland families use a local river or tank. Many give food, clothes or money to brāhmaṇas and the needy, keep a mild fast and avoid non-vegetarian food and alcohol. Worth remembering: This is not Mahālaya Amāvāsyā, which closes Pitṛ Pakṣa in the Tamil month Puraṭṭāsi and is the year's most important ancestral new moon. Tai Amāvāsai, Madhyāṣṭamī, Mahā Bharaṇī and Śastrahata are also separate days, each fixed by its own rule. Āḍi is kept for spiritual and ancestral observance, so families avoid weddings and other new beginnings in this month. Whether piṇḍa is offered, whether brāhmaṇas are fed, and whether tarpaṇam is done at the sea, a river or at home all follow the family's śākhā and custom. Kerala keeps the same new moon as Karkkiṭaka Vāvu with its own bali rites. The pañcāṅga gives the day, but the way to honour the ancestors is best learnt from the elders of one's own house.
Comments
Share how your family observes this day, or ask a question. Please keep it kind and on topic.