Ashtami

Ashtami is the eighth lunar day, reached at about ninety-six degrees of moon-sun separation, which is the halfway point of each fortnight's quarter. In the bright half it marks a half-moon in the making, and in the dark half the moon is nearing its half-lit phase, so the day carries a turning-point quality in the calendar.

The jaya, or victory, group includes it along with the third and thirteenth days. Its deities are Durga and Bhairava, both fierce protective forms. Durga is the goddess who defeated the buffalo demon, and Bhairava is the awe-inspiring aspect of Shiva that guards boundaries and time. Texts and folk practice therefore treat this as a day to face fear instead of avoiding it, and many temples schedule special worship for it.

The two fortnights lean in different directions. In the bright half, Ashtami during the autumn goddess festival is the high point, when young girls are honoured as the goddess. In the dark half the tithi is used for Bhairava worship and, in the month of Bhadrapada, for the birth celebration of Krishna at midnight. Some people avoid cutting hair or nails that day. Rules differ, so a household or temple tradition is the best guide.