Pitru Paksha in 2017 - Shraddha

Pitru Paksha in 2017 or Shraddha 2017 will begin on 5th September and will end on 19th of September. Pitru Paksha or Shraddha is a 16 days long period in which Hindus pray for the soul of their ancestors. They are bound to pay obeisance to their dead ancestors and they do it with great respect in their heart for them. Shraddha in 2017 will also be a time to perform the rituals of Pitru Paksha in the honor of the ancestors. During the Pitru Paksha in 2017 people offer all the things that they do every year to the dead and will request Almighty to grant peace to their souls. During the Pitru Paksha people offer all the things that they do every year to the dead and will request Almighty to grant peace to their souls.

The period of Shraddha always occur during the month of September and October if seen from Gregorian dates and in the month of Bhadrapada as per the Hindu lunar calendar. Pitr Paksha starts with the full Moon night and the ending night will be the new Moon night like all the years.

Rituals Performed During Pitru Paksha

While observing Pitru Paksha, it is a good idea to know about the rituals related to Pitr Paksha. There are certain rituals to be carried out in order to pay tribute to any of your ancestors. Shraddha is an important religious event. It is believed that it is very necessary to honor the dead ancestor as they are the foundations of our life today. They spend their life working for the betterment of upcoming generation and it is duty of the present generation to pray for their peace. A Shraddha during Pitru Paksha is completed in almost similar ways but the days to perform a Shraddha are different for different people.

First and foremost basic thing about Shraddha is that a Shraddha must be performed on the day on which the ancestor died. There are various specific dates on which the Shraadh must be performed in accordance to the death of the person. Such as if a women dies before her husband then her Shraadh will be performed on the night lunar day i.e. Avidhava Navami. The rituals of the Pitru Paksha might differ from family to family. But, the basic ritual include offering food and worshipping. The food is cooked by a female of the family and the vessels used are usually of copper or silver.

A Shraddha is mostly performed by the son of the ancestor. All the people are required to take bath and then continue with the prayers. The food offerings mainly include Kheer (Sweet dish) and many other things like Puri, Dal, rice and some vegetables as well. After these offerings are made, a ritual called Pind Daan is carried forward. Pind Daan is the most important ritual which is performed during Pitru Paksha. People have faith that while all these things are done the souls of their ancestors remain with them and witness everything. Even a prayer is done to invoke the ancestor so that they could be present during Shraddha.

Most of the people invite a priest to their home to follow the rituals of Shraddha to reduce even a single chance of any mistake. It is said that ancestor holds the power of destroying everything or blessing the people with happiness. Therefore, people do their best to avoid the anger of their ancestors that might cause harm to them badly. As it has been said different families have different rituals. Some people also believe in donating food and clothes to the people in need and some gifts to the same priest they invited to worship. The prayers during Shraddha are offered to the Lord Vishnu everywhere.

Significance of Pitru Paksha and Shradha

Shraddha performed during Pitru Paksha acts as a road that connects the people of different generations for betterment. The life of the present generation is a gift given by their ancestors and through Shraddha, homage is paid in respect for this gift. The dead ancestors only demand respect and honor for all that they did and completion of Shraddha with perfect rituals make them feel valued. The ancestors bless their family with enormous happiness and a peaceful life once the Shraddha is performed.

During the Pitru Paksha even you can worship for the peace and salvation of your dead ancestors and then you will experience their blessings in all the things you do.