Free tool · Tithi calendar
Tithi birthday, anniversary and Shraddha dates
Enter the date of a birth, a wedding or a passing. We find its tithi and lunar month, then the day it falls on in each of the next five years for your city.
What you'll get
- The tithi (lunar day) and lunar month of the date, in North Indian (Purnimanta) and Amanta names
- The date it falls on in each of the next five years, for your city
- Tithi birthdays and anniversaries by the tithi at sunrise; Shraddha by the tithi in the afternoon
- For a Shraddha, the Pitru Paksha (Mahalaya) day as well
- Save it and get one gentle email the evening before, if you wish
How the dates are worked out
We find the tithi (the Moon's distance from the Sun in steps of 12°) and the lunar month at the moment that matters, using the Lahiri ayanamsa and NASA JPL's DE421 ephemeris. Lunar months run new moon to new moon (Amanta) and take their name from the Sun's sign at the new moon that begins them.
- The original tithi. At the time you give; otherwise at sunrise (birthdays, anniversaries) or in the afternoon (Shraddha) of that date, in the city you choose.
- Each year's day. In the same lunar month: the day the tithi is at sunrise for a birthday or anniversary, or the day it prevails in the afternoon (Aparahna) for a Shraddha.
- Edge cases. A tithi at two sunrises: the first day. A tithi at no sunrise: the day it falls on. An Adhika year: the regular month, with the Adhika date shown too.
These are the general rules; some families and regional calendars keep these days differently, so follow your family's tradition where it differs.
Keeping dates by the tithi
Tithi birthdays
In many families a child's birthday is also kept on its tithi, often with a visit to the temple or a small puja at home. Knowing the tithi also helps when an elder remembers a birthday only as, say, “Shravan Shukla Panchami”.
Wedding anniversaries
Some couples mark their anniversary on the tithi of their wedding as well as the date, especially when the wedding muhurat was chosen by tithi.
Shraddha
Shraddha is a way of remembering a parent or ancestor with love: water and sesame offered in tarpan, food shared or given in their memory, and a quiet moment of gratitude. How it is kept varies from family to family. It is an act of remembrance, not something to worry about, and nothing needs to be bought for it.
Related
- The tithi today: today's Panchang.
- Every Amavasya, including Sarva Pitru Amavasya: Amavasya dates.
- A month at a glance: Hindu calendar.
- Your birth chart: free Kundli.
Questions
What is a tithi birthday?
It is a birthday kept by the lunar calendar: on the same tithi (lunar day) of the same lunar month you were born in, rather than on the same Gregorian date. Many families celebrate it alongside the usual birthday. Because twelve lunar months are about 11 days shorter than a solar year, the Gregorian date moves each year, usually within a few weeks of your birthday.
How is the Shraddha date worked out each year?
The Shraddha (death anniversary) is kept on the tithi of the death in the same lunar month. Tradition performs it in the afternoon, so each year's day is the one on which that tithi prevails during Aparahna, the fourth of the five parts of the daytime. If the tithi touches the afternoon on two days, the day with more of it is shown; if it touches neither, the day it covers more of the daylight.
Which tithi is used if I know the time?
With a time, the tithi at that moment is used. Without one, a birthday or anniversary uses the tithi at sunrise on that date (Udaya tithi) and a Shraddha the tithi in the afternoon of the date of passing. If someone passed away at night or early in the morning, adding the time can change the tithi.
What if the tithi is at two sunrises, or at none?
A tithi lasts about 19 to 26 hours, so it is sometimes at sunrise on two days (vriddhi) and sometimes at none (kshaya). For birthdays and anniversaries we show the first of two days, or the day on which a short tithi falls. Families and regional calendars can differ here, so follow your own tradition.
Amanta or Purnimanta: which month name is right?
Both describe the same days. Purnimanta months (most of North India) end on the full moon and Amanta months (Maharashtra, Gujarat and South India) on the new moon, so the dark fortnight has a different month name. We show the name your city uses with the other in brackets, and the dates are the same either way.
What happens in a year with an extra (Adhika) month?
About every three years the lunar calendar adds an Adhika month. We give the date in the regular (Nija) month, as most families keep it, and also show the date in the Adhika month, since some families keep it then.
What is the Pitru Paksha Shraddha day?
Pitru Paksha (Mahalaya) is the dark fortnight of Bhadrapada (Ashwin in North Indian calendars) when many families remember their ancestors. A person is remembered on the tithi of the same number; Purnima on Purnima Shraddha and Amavasya on Sarva Pitru Amavasya. We show that day for each year with a Shraddha.
Can I get a reminder?
Yes. Save the date to your profile and tick the reminder, and you get one email the evening before each year's date, in the same email as any festival reminders you have chosen. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link, and the name you give the date is only shown to you.