Phalguna Amavasya Festival 2025, India

Overview

Phalguna is the twelfth month of the year and corresponds with February/March in the Gregorian calendar. In Luni-Solar calendars,Phalgun may begin on either the new moon or the full moon around the same time of year, the twelfth month. Amavasya is the lunar phase of the new moon in the Sanskrit language. Indian calendars use 30 lunar phases, called tithi in India.Amavasya is often translated as the new moon since there is no standard term for the Moon before the conjunction in English.

About Phalguna Amavasya

In Sanskrit, "ama" means "together," and "easy" means "to dwell" or "cohabit." It also means "na" + "ma" + "Asya," meaning "na" = "No," "ma" =Moon, "Asya" =' There' in turn, meaning there is no moon, i.e., the moon is not visible. Amavasya always falls in the middle of the month. Many Hindus fast on Amavasya. When the no moon day or theAmavasya is observed in the specific month of>Phalguna , then that particularAmavasya is called Phalguna Amavasya. Amavasya's days are termed inauspicious as this is when the evil powers and negative forces are the strongest and reign over the earth. This day holds much importance as people commemorate their forefathers or ancestors by performing Shradh and Tarpan and paying gratitude for all they have done for their successors.

Importance Of Phalguna Amavasya

Phalguna Amavasya is significant as it is observed to attain prosperity, welfare, and blessings. The people who observe this day are believed to be saved from evils and obstacles. This day is a spiritual day that rinses the past sins and wrong deeds of the ancestors that come to the children under their Pitru Dosha. The previous point helps rectify the dosha and blessings of the forefathers that can be attained.

Rituals Of Phalguna Amavasya

People take a holy bath before sunrise and perform morning rituals. Then they perform the shraddha rituals and tarpan for the deceased forefathers and ancestors. The rituals are mostly performed on the holy rivers' banks, temples, or homes. The priest offers prayers to the dead ancestors and worships them for their salvation and peace. People light Diya and offer flowers, a mixture of barley and Diya, to the dead ancestors as per the shraddha ceremony. Tin dan and pinda trapan will be done to get blessings from the divine forefathers. After the rituals, special meals, food, clothes, and donations are offered to the brahmins. Even people observe fast on this day.

History Of Phalguna Amavasya

The Vrat Katha is linked with the Samudra Manthan, an event between the asuras and the devas. The story is based on the sage Durvasa cursing Indra and devas for losing all their powers. The Asuras understood the situation and took advantage of it. They fought the war against the Devas and won it, whereas the Devas took help from Lord Vishnu, who asked them to convince Asuras for Samudra Manthan. Later, the Asuras agree with the churn of the cosmic ocean to get Amrit(divine nectar of immortality). A few days later, Lord Dhanvantari came with a pot containing an elixir, where Jayanta, the son of Indra, ran away with the Amrit to prevent the asuras from grabbing it. Then the two sides tried to seize the pot, which resulted in the spill of a few drops at four different places on earth, i.e., the Sangam Ghat at Prayagraj, which is the confluence of Ganga, the Yamuna, and Saraswati, Shipra in Ujjain, Ganga in Haridwar and Godavari in Nasik.