Udaya Tithi: Why are festivals celebrated on the basis of Udayatithi? Know its importance..

Udaya Tithi: The Hindu calendar has a year of 12 months, a month of 30 days, and a week of 7 days. Hindu fasts, festivals, or celebrations are based on dates, so it is difficult to understand on which day it is right to celebrate fasts or festivals. There is a difference between a date and a day. A date is of 19 to 24 hours, while day and night together are 24 hours. Therefore, often there are 2 dates in a single day or date. In such a situation, let us know about it in detail.

Names of 30 dates

Full moon (Poornamasi), Pratipada (Padwa), Dwitiya (Duj), Tritiya (Teej), Chaturthi (Chauth), Panchami (Panchami), Shashthi (Chhath), Saptami (Satam), Ashtami (Aatham), Navami (Nauami), Dashami (Dasam), Ekadashi (Gyaras), Dwadashi (Baras), Trayodashi (Teras), Chaturdashi (Chaudas), and Amavasya (Amavasya).

Krishna and Shukla Paksha

The dates are divided into two parts. There are 15 dates of Krishna Paksha from Purnima to Amavasya and then 15 dates of Shukla Paksha from Amavasya to Purnima, making a total of 30 dates. However, there are only 16 names of dates.

When to celebrate festivals and keep fasts?

Before observing fasts and celebrating festivals according to the dates, it is important to know which festival in Hinduism is celebrated during the day and which are celebrated at night. Along with this, which fast is related to the Sun and which fast is related to the Moon? For example, festivals like Diwali, Dussehra, Narak Chaturdashi, Navratri, Shivratri, Holi, Janmashtami, and Lohri are celebrated at night. Therefore, Udaya Tithi is not given importance in this. Festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Pitru Paksha, Ramnavami, Hanuman Jayanti, Rakshabandhan, Bhai Dooj, Govardhan Puja, Rath Saptami, Chhath Puja, etc., are celebrated during the day, hence Udaya Tithi is taken into account in this. Similarly, Ekadashi, Chaturthi, and Pradosh fasts should also be observed according to Udaya Tithi, but there is a difference of opinion about this in the Smarta and Vaishnava sects.

What is Udaya Tithi?
Udaya Tithi means the Tithi that starts with sunrise. For example, if a Tithi starts in the first prahar with sunrise, then it is considered Udaya Tithi. Secondly, suppose a Tithi starts in the afternoon or evening on any Tithi and ends in the afternoon or evening of the next day, then the festival or fast of the day is celebrated on the next day because that Tithi was present at the time of sunrise on the next day. Along with this, if you assume that Chaturthi Tithi is ending at 10:30 in the morning and after this Panchami Tithi starts, then also the effect of Chaturthi will be considered for the whole day. Therefore, Panchami will be celebrated the next day.

Understand from this example that in the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, the Chaturthi present at the time of noon (Madhyan Vyapini) is taken because Ganeshji was born at this time. Chaturthi Tithi is starting after the end of the midday period on 26 August. The second prahar of the day is Madhyahna Kaal, which lasts from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. According to this value, Ganesh Chaturthi will be celebrated on the next day, i.e., 27th August, because during that time, Madhyahna Vyapini Tithi will be there. The same principle applies to the festivals of Rakshabandhan and Ramnavami as well. Tarpan is also done in the midday in Pitru Paksha, so it is necessary to have Madhyahna Vyapini Tithi.

According to the Panchang, the time period of any Udaya Tithi cannot be more than 19 to 24 hours. This gap of dates is decided by the difference between the Sun and the Moon, but if any Tithi is going on in the gap of the day and the next Tithi has started from the middle of the said day, then its value will not be more than the first Tithi. That is, the value of the next Tithi is valid only from sunrise on the next day, because according to the Panchang, the day changes with sunrise. That is, the Tithi that arises with the Sun is called Udaya Tithi. But according to the festival and fast of the night and day, there is a change in the principle, which is as follows.

Madhya Vyapini (in the midday part of any date)
Pradosh Vyapini (in the afternoon part of any date)
Ardha Vyapini (in the evening part of any date)
Nishith Vyapini (in the night part of any date)

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