Pitru Paksha 2027 runs from September 15 to September 29, a 15-day period for shraddha and tarpan rituals honoring ancestors, ending on Sarva Pitru Amavasya, September 29, the day dedicated to all ancestors, especially those whose exact death date is unknown.
How shraddha works during Pitru Paksha
Each of the 15 days corresponds to a specific tithi, from Purnima through Amavasya. The tradition is to perform shraddha for a deceased family member on the tithi that matches their death date. So if your grandfather passed away on Panchami tithi, you’d perform his shraddha on the Panchami day within Pitru Paksha. If your grandmother passed on Ashtami, her shraddha falls on the Ashtami day. If you don’t know the exact tithi of death (which is common, especially for ancestors who passed decades ago), Sarva Pitru Amavasya on the last day covers everyone. That’s the catch-all day, and it’s the most widely observed.
The date range holds, the individual tithi timing does not automatically transfer
The 15-day window itself is fixed by the lunar calendar and applies the same way everywhere. What differs by location is the exact timing within each day, since individual shraddha rituals are traditionally performed on the tithi matching the ancestor’s date of death, and the tithi’s start and end lands at a different local clock time and sometimes a different local date in the US or UK.
Here’s the scenario that confuses people: your family in India says “Panchami shraddha is on September 19.” You’re in New York, 9.5 hours behind IST. The Panchami tithi might start on the evening of September 18 in New York and run until the afternoon of September 19. Or it might start on September 19 morning and end on September 20 morning. The only way to know is to check the tithi for your specific city, not to assume India’s date carries over.
Performing shraddha abroad
The full traditional shraddha involves a Brahmin feeding, specific cooked items (kheer, rice, urad dal), and tarpan (water offerings to ancestors). Many families abroad simplify this to tarpan alone: facing south, offering water mixed with black sesame seeds and barley while reciting the names of departed family members.
If you don’t have a pandit available locally, the tarpan can be done at home by the eldest son or another family member. Some families in the US and UK connect with a pandit in India over video call for the mantras. The key elements are: face south, use black sesame and barley in the water offering, and recite the names and gotras of the ancestors you’re honoring.
Feeding crows is also part of the tradition, since crows are considered messengers of Yama. In the UK and US, crows are common enough that this is easy to do. Leave a small plate of cooked rice and ghee outside before your own meal.
Practical approach for families abroad
Identify which specific tithi within the fortnight corresponds to your family’s shraddha tradition, then check which local calendar date that tithi falls on for your US or UK city, rather than assuming India’s date applies unchanged. If the tithi spans two calendar dates at your location, perform the shraddha during the Aparahna Kaal (roughly the afternoon window) on whichever date the tithi is prevailing during that time.
Check your city’s tithi
Use the panchang page with your city selected to confirm which date matches the relevant tithi for your family’s shraddha.