What Not to Do on Amavasya: Hair, Nails & What Texts Say

Q: What should not be done on Amavasya?

Three rules appear in the texts I checked in translation: do not cut branches or pluck leaves (Vishnu Purana, chapter 12, which says the Moon dwells in trees that day), stay chaste (Manusmriti 4.128) and do not recite or teach the Veda (Manusmriti 4.113–114). Beyond these, family custom avoids meat, alcohol and heavy food, washing hair, cutting hair or nails, starting new ventures and going to lonely places at night. I found no textual basis for the hair and nail rules; they are household traditions. If you need tulsi or bael leaves for worship, pick them the day before.

Q: Is Amavasya auspicious or inauspicious?

In the texts, Amavasya is not inauspicious; it is the monthly day of the ancestors. Manusmriti 3.122–127 prescribes a monthly rite for the ancestors on the new-moon day, and 4.150 and 4.153 ask householders to make offerings and visit the images of the gods on such parva days. The biggest festival of the year, Diwali, falls on an Amavasya. Avoiding Amavasya for weddings, housewarmings or new ventures comes from astrology and muhurta tradition. I found no textual basis for the belief that negative energies rise that night or that a child born on Amavasya is unlucky.

Q: Can we wash hair on Amavasya?

The rule against washing hair on Amavasya is a household custom. The Amavasya rules I checked in Manusmriti chapter 4 cover Veda study and chastity, not hair or oil, and the Vishnu Purana passage concerns trees and leaves. So whether you follow it depends on your family’s practice. Health and hygiene come first: wash your hair after periods, after heavy sweating, for itching, or on medical advice. A bath before tarpan is expected anyway; many families keep the bath and only skip shampoo. I found no separate rule for girls or women.

Q: Can we cut nails on Amavasya?

Not cutting nails, hair or shaving on Amavasya is a custom, not a text, as far as the passages I checked go. Manusmriti 4.69 mentions hair and nails but links them to no lunar day. The custom grows from Amavasya’s role as the day of shraddha for the ancestors, a restraint also kept during Pitru Paksha. If you follow it, trim your nails the day before. If a nail is broken or likely to cause injury, cutting it is sensible; I found no sin or penalty for it in any text.

Q: How do you do Amavasya tarpan at home?

After bathing, mix black sesame seeds into clean water in a plate or basin. Wear a kusha-grass ring on the ring finger of your right hand, or hold a blade of kusha. If you wear the sacred thread, move it to the right shoulder, the position for rites to ancestors (Wikipedia, Tarpana). Take sesame water in your joined palms and let it flow over the part of the hand between thumb and index finger, the pitru tirtha, naming each ancestor; if you do not know their names, say “for all my ancestors”. Finish with folded hands and pour the water at the root of a plant. Traditionally those whose father has died perform it.

Q: What does Amavasya mean?

Amavasya is the new-moon day, the last tithi of the waning fortnight, when the Moon is not visible. The word is usually explained as amā (together) + vasya (to dwell): the day the Sun and Moon “dwell together” in the same part of the sky (Wikipedia, Amavasya). It comes once every lunar month, roughly fifteen days after the full moon (Purnima). In Hindu practice it is above all the day of the ancestors: the Manusmriti prescribes a monthly rite for them on this day, and the Vishnu Purana says the ancestors drink the Moon’s last nectar on it and stay satisfied for a month.

Every month the same message lands in family WhatsApp groups: “Tomorrow is Amavasya — don’t wash your hair, don’t cut your nails, don’t start anything new.” If you grew up with these rules, you probably follow some of them without knowing why. If you live in London or New Jersey and your mother calls to remind you, you may wonder which of them actually come from scripture.

So I went looking. The texts turned out to say less about hair and nails than the forwards claim — and something quite specific about trees that the forwards never mention.

Is Amavasya auspicious or inauspicious?

In the texts, Amavasya is not an inauspicious day — it is the monthly day of the ancestors. The word combines amā (together) and vasya (to dwell): the day the Sun and Moon “dwell together” and the Moon is invisible (courtesy: Wikipedia, Amavasya).

“…shall offer, month by month, on the new-moon day, the funeral sacrifice…”
— Manusmriti 3.122, tr. G. Bühler (courtesy: sacred-texts.com)

The next verse names this monthly offering to the ancestors Anvaharya (3.123), and 3.127 calls it the famous rite for the dead performed on the new-moon day. The same text tells householders to visit the images of the gods and make offerings on such parva days (4.150, 4.153). And the biggest celebration in the Hindu year, Diwali, falls on an Amavasya night.

Avoiding Amavasya for weddings, housewarmings or new ventures comes from muhurta and astrology, not from these chapters. And the fear that a child born on Amavasya is unlucky has no basis in anything I checked.

A smiling woman in a maroon saree kneeling at the stone doorstep of a village house on a moonless, star-filled night, placing a lit clay lamp on the threshold — AI-generated image (Roopalia) — A lamp on the threshold on a moonless night — the most common Amavasya custom.

What not to do on Amavasya — text vs. custom

Rule	Basis	Where
Cutting a branch or plucking a leaf	✅ In the text	Vishnu Purana, ch. 12
Sexual relations (stay chaste)	✅ In the text	Manusmriti 4.128
Beginning or teaching Veda recitation	✅ In the text	Manusmriti 4.113–114
Meat, alcohol, heavy food	Custom	Widely followed
Washing hair	Custom — not found in the texts	—
Cutting hair or nails, shaving	Custom — not found in the texts	—
Starting new ventures, buying property	Astrology / muhurta	Check a panchang

Can we wash hair on Amavasya?

The texts I checked do not forbid it. The Amavasya rules in Manusmriti chapter 4 are about Veda study and chastity, not hair or oil. The “don’t wash your hair” rule is a household custom, often explained as “Lakshmi flows away” or “the ancestors are displeased”. Follow it if your family does — but hygiene and health come first: a bath after periods, sweat, itching or a doctor’s advice outweighs any custom. Many families keep the bath (needed before tarpan anyway) and simply skip shampoo. I found no separate rule for girls.

Two-panel image: a woman in a white saree washing her long hair under a stone tap, and an older man in a dhoti trimming his nails with a clipper over a brass plate — AI-generated image (Roopalia) — Washing hair and cutting nails — the two most-searched Amavasya questions.

Can we cut nails on Amavasya?

Also a custom rather than a text. Manusmriti 4.69 does talk about hair and nails, but it ties them to no lunar day. The habit of not cutting hair or nails on Amavasya comes from its link with shraddha, the rite for ancestors — the same restraint is kept during Pitru Paksha. Practical answer: if you keep the custom, trim them the day before. If a nail is broken or catching, cut it; I found no sin or penalty attached to it anywhere.

The rule that is in the text: leave the trees alone

This is the surprising one. The Vishnu Purana (chapter 12, tr. H. H. Wilson, courtesy: sacred-texts.com) says that on the day of conjunction the Moon is immersed in the waters and then enters the branches and shoots of trees, and that anyone who cuts a branch or casts down even a leaf at that time is guilty of a sin as grave as killing a Brahmin. The same passage says the ancestors drink the Moon’s last nectar that day and stay satisfied for the whole month — the textual root of Amavasya as the ancestors’ day.

That is why many homes pluck tulsi or bael leaves for worship the day before — see our guide on tulsi rules.

If Amavasya is the ancestors’ day, what exactly are you supposed to do for them? Less than you might think — and it can all be done in a kitchen.

What to do on Amavasya for ancestors (pitra dosh)

Remember them. A bath, a few quiet minutes and their names — father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and the mother’s side. If you don’t know the names, “for all my ancestors” is enough.
Tarpan with sesame water (below), if your family tradition has you do it.
Set aside a portion of food for a crow, a cow or a hungry person. Offering food to crows during shraddha is still a living practice (courtesy: Wikipedia, Śrāddha).
Give — black sesame, rice or wheat, jaggery, a white cloth, or a blanket in winter. Something the receiver actually needs is the best gift.
Light a lamp at the threshold in the evening, or under a peepal tree.

A jute mat with brass bowls of rice, black sesame and wheat, a block of jaggery, a folded white cotton cloth, a grey wool blanket, a lit clay lamp and a brass lota — AI-generated image (Roopalia) — Common Amavasya gifts — grain, black sesame, jaggery, cloth and a blanket.

How to do Amavasya tarpan at home

Tarpana means “satisfying” — offering water with black sesame to the ancestors. Wikipedia’s Tarpana article lists Amavasya, sankranti, eclipses and Pitru Paksha as its occasions, and describes the method:

Bathe and put clean water mixed with black sesame in a plate or basin.
Wear a ring of kusha grass on the ring finger of the right hand (or hold a blade of kusha).
If you wear the sacred thread, move it to the right shoulder — the position used for rites to the ancestors.
Take sesame water in your joined palms and let it flow out over the part of the hand between the thumb and index finger (the pitru tirtha), saying each ancestor’s name.
Fold your hands, ask for their blessing, and pour the water at the root of a plant (not tulsi).

Traditionally, sesame tarpan is done by those whose father is no longer living. If your parents are alive, a lamp, a gift and a portion of food are the usual Amavasya offerings. Whether women perform tarpan varies by family — follow your own.

A woman in a white saree with a red border placing rice, vegetables and roti on a banana leaf on a rooftop parapet while a crow pecks at the food — AI-generated image (Roopalia) — The ancestors’ portion on the rooftop — food for the crows.

What to do on Amavasya night

Before electricity, Amavasya was the darkest night of the month. Families still mark it with a lamp at the main door (often facing south, the direction associated with the ancestors), a lamp under the peepal, and quiet chanting. Claims that “negative energies are strongest” that night are folk belief; I found nothing like it in the texts I checked. Avoiding lonely places on a moonless night was simply sensible.

A clay lamp burning on a stone ledge among the huge roots of a peepal tree at dusk, with a small bowl of oil and black sesame seeds beside it — AI-generated image (Roopalia) — A mustard-oil lamp under the peepal — the Shani Amavasya custom.

Shani, Somvati, Mauni, Mahalaya — which Amavasya is which?

Name	When	Custom
Somvati Amavasya	Falls on a Monday	Women wind raw white thread round a peepal and circle it; fast for husband’s well-being (Wikipedia notes married women pray to Shiva).
Shani Amavasya	Falls on a Saturday	Mustard-oil lamp under a peepal, gifts of black sesame. Shani Jayanti is kept on the Jyeshtha Amavasya (Wikipedia).
Mauni Amavasya	Magha month	Silence (mauna) and an early holy dip (courtesy: Wikipedia, Mauni Amavasya).
Mahalaya / Sarva Pitru Amavasya	Last day of Pitru Paksha	Shraddha for all ancestors, including those whose date is not known.
Diwali Amavasya	Kartik (Ashvin in the amanta calendar)	Lakshmi puja — an Amavasya of pure celebration.

For a Somvati Amavasya, many families combine the day with their Monday fast; for Shani Amavasya, with the Saturday fast.

Three women in bright sarees winding raw white cotton thread round the trunk of a huge peepal tree in a temple courtyard, a brass lota and flowers at its base — AI-generated image (Roopalia) — Somvati Amavasya — winding raw thread round the peepal.

Devotees standing in a wide misty river at sunrise with folded hands, taking a holy dip, worship plates on the ghat steps and boats in the distance — AI-generated image (Roopalia) — Mauni Amavasya — silence and a dawn dip in the river.

Keeping Amavasya outside India

An Indian woman in a kurta seen from behind placing a clay lamp on a high-rise apartment balcony railing at night beside a plate of sesame and flowers, city towers behind under a moonless sky — AI-generated image (Roopalia) — An Amavasya lamp on a city balcony.

Use your own city’s date. Amavasya in North America often falls a day earlier than in India — see why your festival date differs from India.
No river? Do tarpan at home in a basin and pour the water into garden soil afterwards.
No crows? Put the ancestors’ portion in a bird feeder, or donate a meal to a food bank — the intention is the same.
Lamps in apartments: on the balcony, away from smoke alarms; use a glass holder if it is windy.
No temple nearby? See puja at home without a temple.

How to find when Amavasya is

Rather than dates that go stale, here is the method that works every month:

Look for the last day of the Krishna Paksha (waning fortnight) in a panchang — roughly fifteen days after the full moon.
Tithis are counted from sunrise. When Amavasya begins mid-day and ends the next mid-day, fasting and bathing usually follow the day on which it is current at sunrise, while rites for ancestors look at the afternoon.
Set the panchang app to your own city, not Delhi.

What the texts say — and what they don’t

Point	Found?	Where
Monthly rite for ancestors on Amavasya	✅ Found	Manusmriti 3.122, 3.123, 3.127
Ancestors satisfied for a month by the Moon’s nectar	✅ Found	Vishnu Purana, ch. 12
Do not cut branches or pluck leaves	✅ Found	Vishnu Purana, ch. 12
Stay chaste	✅ Found	Manusmriti 4.128
No Veda recitation	✅ Found	Manusmriti 4.113–114
No hair washing	❌ Not found	Custom
No cutting hair or nails	❌ Not found	Custom
“Negative energies” at night	❌ Not found	Folk belief
Birth on Amavasya is unlucky	❌ Not found	—

“Not found” is the result of this search, not proof that something does not exist anywhere in the vast Dharmashastra and Purana literature.

Bottom line: Amavasya is the ancestors’ day, not a day of fear. Remember them, set aside food, give something, light a lamp — that is its heart. The texts clearly ask you to leave trees and leaves alone and to keep restraint. The hair and nail rules are family custom: keep them with respect if you wish, but never at the cost of health or hygiene.

Frequently asked questions

What should not be done on Amavasya?

Three rules appear in the texts I checked in translation: do not cut branches or pluck leaves (Vishnu Purana, chapter 12, which says the Moon dwells in trees that day), stay chaste (Manusmriti 4.128) and do not recite or teach the Veda (Manusmriti 4.113–114). Beyond these, family custom avoids meat, alcohol and heavy food, washing hair, cutting hair or nails, starting new ventures and going to lonely places at night. I found no textual basis for the hair and nail rules; they are household traditions. If you need tulsi or bael leaves for worship, pick them the day before.

Is Amavasya auspicious or inauspicious?

In the texts, Amavasya is not inauspicious; it is the monthly day of the ancestors. Manusmriti 3.122–127 prescribes a monthly rite for the ancestors on the new-moon day, and 4.150 and 4.153 ask householders to make offerings and visit the images of the gods on such parva days. The biggest festival of the year, Diwali, falls on an Amavasya. Avoiding Amavasya for weddings, housewarmings or new ventures comes from astrology and muhurta tradition. I found no textual basis for the belief that negative energies rise that night or that a child born on Amavasya is unlucky.

Can we wash hair on Amavasya?

The rule against washing hair on Amavasya is a household custom. The Amavasya rules I checked in Manusmriti chapter 4 cover Veda study and chastity, not hair or oil, and the Vishnu Purana passage concerns trees and leaves. So whether you follow it depends on your family’s practice. Health and hygiene come first: wash your hair after periods, after heavy sweating, for itching, or on medical advice. A bath before tarpan is expected anyway; many families keep the bath and only skip shampoo. I found no separate rule for girls or women.

Can we cut nails on Amavasya?

Not cutting nails, hair or shaving on Amavasya is a custom, not a text, as far as the passages I checked go. Manusmriti 4.69 mentions hair and nails but links them to no lunar day. The custom grows from Amavasya’s role as the day of shraddha for the ancestors, a restraint also kept during Pitru Paksha. If you follow it, trim your nails the day before. If a nail is broken or likely to cause injury, cutting it is sensible; I found no sin or penalty for it in any text.

What to do on Amavasya for ancestors?

Amavasya is the ancestors’ day: Manusmriti 3.122 prescribes a monthly rite for them on the new moon. At home you can bathe and remember them by name, offer tarpan with black sesame water if your tradition has you do it, set aside a portion of food for a crow, a cow or a hungry person (feeding crows during shraddha is still common), give sesame, grain, jaggery, cloth or a blanket, and light a lamp at the threshold or under a peepal in the evening. Outside India, a bird feeder or a food-bank donation carries the same intention.

How do you do Amavasya tarpan at home?

After bathing, mix black sesame seeds into clean water in a plate or basin. Wear a kusha-grass ring on the ring finger of your right hand, or hold a blade of kusha. If you wear the sacred thread, move it to the right shoulder, the position for rites to ancestors (Wikipedia, Tarpana). Take sesame water in your joined palms and let it flow over the part of the hand between thumb and index finger, the pitru tirtha, naming each ancestor; if you do not know their names, say “for all my ancestors”. Finish with folded hands and pour the water at the root of a plant. Traditionally those whose father has died perform it.

What is the difference between Somvati and Shani Amavasya?

Both are the same tithi, the last day of the waning fortnight; only the weekday differs. An Amavasya on a Monday is Somvati Amavasya (Wikipedia, Amavasya); women traditionally wind raw white thread around a peepal tree while circling it and fast for their husbands’ well-being. An Amavasya on a Saturday is Shani Amavasya, marked by a mustard-oil lamp under a peepal and gifts of black sesame. Mauni Amavasya, in the month of Magha, is kept with silence and a holy dip, and Mahalaya Amavasya closes Pitru Paksha with shraddha for all ancestors.

What does Amavasya mean?

Amavasya is the new-moon day, the last tithi of the waning fortnight, when the Moon is not visible. The word is usually explained as amā (together) + vasya (to dwell): the day the Sun and Moon “dwell together” in the same part of the sky (Wikipedia, Amavasya). It comes once every lunar month, roughly fifteen days after the full moon (Purnima). In Hindu practice it is above all the day of the ancestors: the Manusmriti prescribes a monthly rite for them on this day, and the Vishnu Purana says the ancestors drink the Moon’s last nectar on it and stay satisfied for a month.

Sources and cautions: sources consulted — Manusmriti 3.122, 3.123, 3.127, 4.69, 4.113–114, 4.128, 4.150, 4.153 (tr. G. Bühler) and Vishnu Purana, chapter 12 (tr. H. H. Wilson), both courtesy: sacred-texts.com; meaning of the word, Somvati Amavasya, Shani Jayanti and fasting: Wikipedia (Amavasya); tarpan method: Wikipedia (Tarpana); crows: Wikipedia (Śrāddha); Mauni Amavasya: Wikipedia. Three things should be said plainly. First, a ban on washing hair, on cutting hair or nails, “negative energies” at night and the idea that birth on Amavasya is unlucky were not found in these texts; that is the result of a search, not a final verdict. Second, every family and region has its own custom; follow your elders and your local panchang. Third, this article does not encourage anyone to fast and is not medical advice; with any illness, pregnancy or regular medication, consult a doctor first. No brand or shop is recommended.

What Not to Do on Amavasya
Hair, Nails and What to Do for AncestorsIs the new moon day really inauspicious? What the Manusmriti and Vishnu Purana say, and keeping it outside India

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