Amavasya May 2026 Date
Saturday, 16 May 2026
Amavasya
Amavasya is the moonless night that Hindu tradition reserves for the dead. Significance, story and puja vidhi of Amavasya.
Amavasya in May 2026 is on Saturday, 16 May 2026.
Dates are for India (IST). Muhurat and the panchanga for each day are on the Amavasya page.
This Month's Amavasya: Jyeshtha Amavasya, Shani Jayanti Amavasya and Vat Savitri
Jyeshtha Amavasya
The new moon of Jyeshtha month is one of the busiest dates in the North Indian calendar — it carries Shani Jayanti (the birth of Lord Shani) and Vat Savitri Vrat on the very same day, when married women tie white thread around a banyan tree for their husband's long life.
Shani Jayanti Amavasya
Shani Jayanti marks the day Shani — son of Surya by Chhaya, the shadow-wife — was born. Falling on Jyeshtha (or Vaishakha) Amavasya, it is the year's biggest day for Tailabhishekam: pouring sesame or mustard oil over the dark stone idol to soften Saturn's gaze.
Vat Savitri
On the Jyeshtha new moon, married women tie raw thread around a banyan trunk and circle it seven times — re-enacting Savitri, the princess who argued the god of death Yama into returning her husband Satyavan from under that very tree.
How Amavasya is kept
- Bathe early, in a river if you can, or with a few drops of Ganga jal in the water.
- Those whose father has passed away offer tarpan with water and black sesame, calling each ancestor by name.
- Feed crows, a cow or a dog before the family meal, and give food, clothes or grain to someone in need.
- Offer water or milk to a Shivalinga and light a ghee or sesame oil lamp at the altar in the evening.
- A Monday Amavasya is Somvati Amavasya and a Saturday one Shani Amavasya, both sought out for ritual baths.
Amavasya Dates in May 2026
- 16 May 2026Saturday
Amavasya May 2026: Questions
When is Amavasya in May 2026?
Amavasya in May 2026 is on Saturday, 16 May 2026.
Which Amavasya is it in May 2026?
Amavasya on Sat, 16 May is also Jyeshtha Amavasya, Shani Jayanti Amavasya and Vat Savitri.
When is the next Amavasya after May 2026?
The next Amavasya is on Sunday, 14 June 2026.
Also on Saturday, 16 May 2026
