Vedic Wisdom
Shraddha is how Hindu families keep faith with those who have died — not once, but year after year. Here is what it is, gently explained, for anyone arranging or attending one.
Quick answer
Shraddha is the Hindu rite of remembrance for family members who have died. The word comes from shraddha, meaning faith or reverence: it is an act done with faith for those who came before. It involves offerings — of food, water and, in many traditions, pinda — prayers for the peace of the departed, and hospitality or charity given in their name. It is observed after a death and then, for many families, every year.
Most commonly on the annual tithi, the lunar-calendar anniversary of the death, and during Pitru Paksha, the fortnight each autumn set aside in the Hindu calendar for all ancestors. Some families observe both, some one or the other, and some hold a Shraddha whenever they are able. There is no single rule, and no day count is universal.
Grief in Hindu tradition is not expected to end at the funeral. The rites that follow a death continue over days and weeks, and after them the family enters a rhythm of remembrance that can last a lifetime. Shraddha is the name for that remembrance in its formal shape. On the anniversary of a death, and in the fortnight of Pitru Paksha, a family stops, prepares food, sits with a priest and offers what they have to the one they have lost — and, through them, to the whole line of ancestors, the pitru, who came before.
The offerings are simple. Water mixed with sesame seeds, called tarpan, is poured with prayers. Food is cooked and offered. In many traditions pinda — small balls of rice or flour — are offered to represent the departed and the generations before them. And then, essentially, hospitality: a meal given to a priest, to the family, to guests, or to those in need, in the name of the person being remembered. Charity given at Shraddha is understood as given on behalf of the departed.
For families in Britain the rite is held at home, in a hall, or sometimes at a suitable place near water. It does not need a temple. It needs a clean space, a few materials, the family present, and someone to lead it who understands what the family wishes to observe and why.
Commonly
A widely followed pattern. Traditions differ in the detail and the order, and your family’s custom leads.
01
intention
The family names the person being remembered and states that the rite is offered for their peace and for the ancestors.
02
The ancestors are invited to be present and honoured, in some traditions through a priest who represents them, in others through the offerings alone.
03
water offering
Water with sesame seeds is poured from the hands with mantras for the departed and for the three generations before them.
04
Where the family’s tradition includes it, balls of cooked rice or flour are offered to the departed and the ancestors.
05
A meal cooked for the occasion is offered first, then served — to the priest, to the family, or to those in need — in the name of the departed.
06
The rite closes with prayers for the peace of those remembered and the wellbeing of the family that remembers them.
Honestly
Traditionally the eldest son. In practice, families today decide for themselves: daughters, other children, a spouse or a grandchild lead Shraddha in many households, and this is respected. What matters is that the person performing it does so with sincerity.
Some families observe the annual tithi faithfully; others gather the remembrance of all their departed into Pitru Paksha; many do both. Some observe a simpler form each year and a fuller one at intervals.
Shraddha is regularly held at home. Some families prefer a place near flowing water for the tarpan, and some travel to India to perform it at a place of pilgrimage. All are established practice.
The rites in the days after a death — and when the first Shraddha is held — differ between regions, communities and sampradayas. No single count is universal and none is published here. Your family’s tradition is followed.
You do not need to know what you want before you get in touch. Telephone is the gentlest way to begin, and questions about what to do next are answered without any pressure. Where a funeral is imminent, please say so and it is given priority.
Questions
Written by Shastri Ji Manishbhai Pandya. Last reviewed . Hindu practice varies between regions, communities, families and sampradayas; this guide explains a widely recognised form and is not a ruling on how any family should observe it.
Whenever you are ready
Tell us whom you would like to remember, and roughly when. Nothing needs to be decided before you call, and no question is too small.