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Calculate the annual Shraddha date based on the death tithi
Shraddha is the sacred Vedic ceremony of honoring departed ancestors (Pitru). The word comes from “shraddha” (faith/devotion) — it is an act of grateful remembrance performed on specific tithis each month and during the annual Pitru Paksha period. Performing Shraddha on the correct tithi — matching the tithi on which the ancestor departed — is considered essential for the offerings to reach them.
Each ancestor is remembered on the tithi of their passing. If the death tithi is Panchami (5th), Shraddha is performed on every Panchami of Krishna Paksha, and especially during Pitru Paksha — the annual 16-day ancestor period in Bhadrapada month.
The 16-day period from Purnima to Amavasya in Bhadrapada (Sep–Oct) when the boundary between ancestral and earthly realms is thinnest. This is the most powerful time for Shraddha rituals and ancestor remembrance.
Traditional Shraddha involves cooking specific foods (kheer, rice, dal), offering to ancestors, feeding Brahmins or the needy, and reciting mantras. Even a simple offering of water (tarpana) with sincere remembrance is considered meaningful.