The answer first: the Annaprashan months of 2027

Annaprashan (अन्नप्राशन, annaprāśana) means “feeding of grain”. It is the rite at which a baby takes the first solid food, traditionally a little rice cooked in milk with ghee. It is one of the sixteen samskaras, the rites of passage that run from before birth to after death. Families usually hold it between the sixth and eighth month of the baby’s life.

A muhurat (मुहूर्त) is the time chosen for a rite. Choosing it happens in two steps. First, the calendar rules out most days of the year and leaves a shortlist that is the same for every family in a city. Then the family Pandit checks the shortlist against the baby’s birth star and picks the day and the hour. This guide is the first step for 2027, worked out by our own panchang engine with the rules of our 2026 guide.

In India, 46 dates in 2027 pass those rules in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai together. 31 of them fall outside Chaturmas, the four months of the rainy season that many families keep free of big ceremonies. The other 15 fall inside Chaturmas. Some Pandits permit Annaprashan then, as a child’s samskara, and others wait until it ends, so we list those dates in their own group.

May and November are the fullest months, with six dates each. April and December are the thinnest, with two each. Both are cut by Kharmas (खरमास), the month when the Sun is in Dhanu (Sagittarius) or Meena (Pisces), when many families hold no samskaras. It closes the first half of April, and it begins again when the Sun enters Dhanu on 16 December. From 14 July to 10 November every date is a Chaturmas date. If your family defers the rite in Chaturmas, the choice in that stretch is to finish by 10 July or to wait until 12 November.

• January — 3 dates, from 19 January (Kharmas ends on 14 January).
• February — 3 dates.
• March — 3 dates, up to 11 March (Kharmas returns from 16 March).
• April — 2 dates, 23 and 28 April.
• May — 6 dates: 4, 8, 9, 12, 16 and 25 May.
• June — 4 dates.
• July — 4 dates up to 10 July, then 2 Chaturmas dates.
• August, September and October — Chaturmas dates only: 3, 4 and 4.
• November — 2 Chaturmas dates (1 and 5 November), then 4 dates: 12, 16, 18 and 24 November.
• December — 2 dates, up to 9 December (the Sun enters Dhanu on 16 December, and Kharmas follows).

Which month is your baby’s?

The sixth to eighth month of life is the most common window for Annaprashan. Some traditions add a distinction by the child: even months (the sixth or eighth) for a boy, and odd months (the fifth, seventh or ninth) for a girl. Many families ignore this and hold the rite at the same age for every child. Your family Pandit will tell you which practice your family follows.

Counting the months causes most of the confusion. The sixth month of life begins when the baby completes five months and ends when the baby completes six. So the sixth-to-eighth-month window runs from five completed months to eight completed months. Some families wait for six completed months instead, so their window starts a month later.

The guide below starts at five completed months; if your family waits for six, start one month later. Find the baby’s birth month, and read the months the window spans. A baby born on the 20th of a month moves into each new month of life on the 20th, so a date early in the first month of a window may fall a few days too soon.

• Born June 2026 — November 2026 to February 2027.
• Born July 2026 — December 2026 to March 2027.
• Born August 2026 — January to April 2027.
• Born September 2026 — February to May 2027.
• Born October 2026 — March to June 2027.
• Born November 2026 — April to July 2027.
• Born December 2026 — May to August 2027.
• Born January 2027 — June to September 2027.
• Born February 2027 — July to October 2027.
• Born March 2027 — August to November 2027.
• Born April 2027 — September to December 2027.
• Born May, June or July 2027 — from October, November or December 2027 into early 2028.

How a day qualifies: the tithi and the nakshatra at sunrise

Outside the closed periods, a day must pass two tests at sunrise in your city. The first is the tithi (तिथि), the lunar day: the time the Moon takes to gain 12 degrees on the Sun. Six tithis are favourable for Annaprashan: Dwitiya (2nd), Tritiya (3rd), Panchami (5th), Saptami (7th), Ekadashi (11th) and Trayodashi (13th). Chaturthi (4th), Ashtami (8th), Chaturdashi (14th), Amavasya (the new moon) and Purnima (the full moon) are avoided.

The second is the nakshatra (नक्षत्र), the lunar mansion that the Moon is in. Eleven nakshatras are favourable: Hasta, Pushya, Punarvasu, Mrigashira, Anuradha, Shravana, Revati, Uttara Phalguni, Uttara Ashadha, Uttara Bhadrapada and Rohini. Bharani, Ashlesha, Jyeshtha and Mula are avoided.

Our engine reads both at local sunrise, because the panchang names each civil day, the calendar date where you live, by the tithi and nakshatra that hold at sunrise. Both change during the day, so the next tithi can begin in the afternoon. That matters for the hour of the rite, which the Pandit chooses. It is also why a city with a later sunrise, such as London or New Jersey, gets a different list.

Each date below shows its paksha. Shukla paksha (शुक्ल पक्ष) is the bright fortnight, when the Moon grows from new to full. Krishna paksha (कृष्ण पक्ष) is the dark fortnight, when it wanes. Many families prefer the bright fortnight for a child’s rite. That is a family practice, not one of the rules above, so we keep the Krishna dates and you can drop them if your family wishes. 26 of the 46 India dates are Shukla dates.

The closed periods of 2027

Three kinds of period close the calendar for Annaprashan in the rules this list follows. Each date range below is the first and last civil day that our engine closes in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.

Kharmas (खरमास) is the time when the Sun is in the sidereal sign of Dhanu (Sagittarius) or Meena (Pisces). The Annaprashan rules avoid it. In 2027 it closes 1 to 14 January (the Kharmas that began in December 2026), 16 March to 14 April, and 17 to 31 December.

Pitru Paksha (पितृ पक्ष) is the fortnight of the ancestors, when families offer shraddha, the rites for those who have died. Samskaras are generally not held in it. In 2027 our festival calendar puts it at 16 to 30 September.

Eclipse days close the calendar too: the rule is to avoid any time within 12 hours of a solar or lunar eclipse. 2027 has five eclipses. No date on any list in this guide falls within 12 hours of one, so the rule removes nothing this year.

2027 has no adhik maas, the extra lunar month the calendar adds about once in three years. So no month is closed for that reason.

Chaturmas (चातुर्मास), the four months, runs from Devshayani Ekadashi, when Vishnu is held to lie down to sleep, to Dev Uthani Ekadashi, when he wakes. In 2027 it runs from 14 July to 10 November in India. In the north and west Indian practice, weddings wait for it to end, as our 2027 wedding guide explains. For Annaprashan, practice divides. Some Pandits permit it in Chaturmas because it is a child’s samskara, tied to the baby’s age, and others defer it. We do not decide this for you. The Chaturmas dates are listed in their own group, so you can use them or leave them.

The 2027 dates in India, outside Chaturmas

These 31 dates pass the day rules at sunrise in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai: the same dates qualify in all three cities. Each shows the weekday, then the tithi and nakshatra at Delhi sunrise. The word Shukla marks a bright-fortnight date. Other Indian cities will match on almost every date, but check yours on the daily panchang.

One more April date, Monday 19 April (Shukla Trayodashi, Hasta at Delhi sunrise), passes in Delhi and Chennai but not in Mumbai.

Three more dates pass the tithi and nakshatra tests but fall on a Sankranti day, when the Sun enters a new sign: 15 January, the day Indian calendars keep Makar Sankranti in 2027; 15 March, when the Sun enters Meena during the morning; and 16 December, when the Sun enters Dhanu in the afternoon. Many families avoid a samskara on the day the Sun changes sign, so we leave those days out, as our 2027 wedding guide does. Some panchangs list them.

• January — Tue 19 (Shukla Ekadashi, Rohini) · Wed 20 (Shukla Trayodashi, Mrigashira) · Tue 26 (Krishna Panchami, Uttara Phalguni).
• February — Thu 11 (Shukla Panchami, Revati) · Fri 19 (Shukla Trayodashi, Pushya) · Tue 23 (Krishna Tritiya, Uttara Phalguni).
• March — Thu 4 (Krishna Ekadashi, Uttara Ashadha) · Wed 10 (Shukla Dwitiya, Uttara Bhadrapada) · Thu 11 (Shukla Tritiya, Revati).
• April — Fri 23 (Krishna Tritiya, Anuradha) · Wed 28 (Krishna Saptami, Uttara Ashadha).
• May — Tue 4 (Krishna Trayodashi, Revati) · Sat 8 (Shukla Dwitiya, Rohini) · Sun 9 (Shukla Tritiya, Mrigashira) · Wed 12 (Shukla Saptami, Pushya) · Sun 16 (Shukla Ekadashi, Uttara Phalguni) · Tue 25 (Krishna Panchami, Uttara Ashadha).
• June — Tue 1 (Krishna Ekadashi, Revati) · Mon 7 (Shukla Tritiya, Punarvasu) · Mon 21 (Krishna Dwitiya, Uttara Ashadha) · Tue 22 (Krishna Tritiya, Uttara Ashadha).
• July, before Chaturmas — Fri 2 (Krishna Trayodashi, Rohini) · Mon 5 (Shukla Dwitiya, Punarvasu) · Tue 6 (Shukla Tritiya, Pushya) · Sat 10 (Shukla Saptami, Hasta).
• November, after Chaturmas — Fri 12 (Shukla Trayodashi, Revati) · Tue 16 (Krishna Tritiya, Mrigashira) · Thu 18 (Krishna Panchami, Punarvasu) · Wed 24 (Krishna Ekadashi, Hasta).
• December — Fri 3 (Shukla Panchami, Shravana) · Thu 9 (Shukla Ekadashi, Revati).

The Chaturmas dates, for families who hold the rite then

These 15 dates pass the same day rules in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, but they fall inside Chaturmas, from 14 July to 10 November. Some Pandits permit Annaprashan in these months as a child’s samskara; others ask the family to wait for Dev Uthani Ekadashi. If a baby reaches the sixth month in August, the choice matters most, because waiting can move the rite past the eighth month. Ask your family Pandit which practice you follow before you choose from this group.

September has no date from 16 to 30 September, because Pitru Paksha closes those days. One more Chaturmas date, Monday 13 September (Shukla Trayodashi, Shravana at Delhi sunrise), passes in Delhi and Chennai but not in Mumbai.

• July, in Chaturmas — Tue 20 (Krishna Dwitiya, Shravana) · Sat 24 (Krishna Panchami, Uttara Bhadrapada).
• August — Fri 6 (Shukla Panchami, Uttara Phalguni) · Sun 15 (Shukla Trayodashi, Uttara Ashadha) · Sun 22 (Krishna Panchami, Revati).
• September — Thu 2 (Shukla Dwitiya, Uttara Phalguni) · Fri 3 (Shukla Tritiya, Hasta) · Tue 7 (Shukla Saptami, Anuradha) · Sat 11 (Shukla Ekadashi, Uttara Ashadha).
• October — Mon 4 (Shukla Panchami, Anuradha) · Wed 20 (Krishna Panchami, Mrigashira) · Fri 22 (Krishna Saptami, Punarvasu) · Wed 27 (Krishna Trayodashi, Uttara Phalguni).
• November, in Chaturmas — Mon 1 (Shukla Tritiya, Anuradha) · Fri 5 (Shukla Saptami, Uttara Ashadha).

Ekadashi, Sankranti and the bright fortnight: the choices families make

A printed Annaprashan list can differ from this one, and both can be honest. Each panchang and each family makes a few choices. These are the ones that change the 2027 list most.

The two boundary Ekadashis. The engine found two more dates that pass the rules: 14 July, Devshayani Ekadashi, and 10 November, Dev Uthani Ekadashi. Both are major fast days, and many families do not hold a rice-feeding rite on them, so we leave them out.

The other Ekadashis. Ekadashi, the eleventh tithi, is on the classical list of favourable tithis, and seven dates on our list are Ekadashis: 19 January, 4 March, 16 May, 1 June, 11 September, 24 November and 9 December. Many families keep the Ekadashi fast, in which grains are set aside for the day. A family that keeps it usually picks a date that is not an Ekadashi for a rite that feeds rice. A family that does not keep it can use these dates.

Sankranti. In this guide, a Sankranti day is the local date on which the Sun enters a new sign — except Makar Sankranti, which Indian calendars keep on 15 January in 2027, and we follow that day in every city. Seven dates pass the tithi and nakshatra tests but fall on a Sankranti day: 15 January (Makar Sankranti as kept), 15 March and 16 December in India; 14 March and 16 November in New Jersey; and 15 January (Makar Sankranti as kept) and 16 November in London. Many families avoid a samskara on the day the Sun changes sign, so we leave those days out. Some panchangs list these days; your Pandit decides.

The bright fortnight. 20 of the 46 India dates are in the Krishna paksha. A family that prefers the Shukla paksha drops them and keeps 26.

Weekdays. The rules above do not exclude any weekday, and neither does this list. If your family avoids a weekday for ceremonies, drop those dates.

The city of computation. A list printed for Varanasi or Ujjain is computed for that city’s sunrise. Most dates carry over, but a date near a change of tithi or nakshatra can move by a day, as the London and New Jersey lists show.

Regional calendars. Bengali families, who call the rite mukhe bhaat, and Malayali families, who call it choroonu, often fix the date by their own regional calendars and temple practice. Compare this list with yours.

New Jersey and London: the same rules, different days

A tithi or a nakshatra begins at one instant for the whole world. What changes from place to place is the sunrise that names the day. London’s sunrise comes about five hours after Delhi’s by the world clock, and New Jersey’s about ten. A tithi or nakshatra that begins in the Indian afternoon can already hold the London or New Jersey sunrise of the same civil day. So the diaspora lists share some dates with India, and on others the tithi or nakshatra has moved one step on.

The difference is large for Annaprashan. Of New Jersey’s 42 dates, 21 are also on the India list and 21 are not. The closed periods move a little too. Chaturmas runs from 13 July to 9 November in Edison, New Jersey, and from 14 July to 9 November in London. Kharmas begins on 15 March in both cities, a day earlier than in India, and New Jersey’s December Kharmas begins on 16 December.

The New Jersey list below gives the dates for New Jersey and US Eastern sunrise, computed at Edison, New Jersey; other places on the US east coast will match on nearly every date. It gives the date and weekday. Open the daily panchang at your city to see the tithi and nakshatra of each. Two more New Jersey days, 14 March and 16 November, pass the tests but are Sankranti days, so they are left out.

• New Jersey and US Eastern sunrise, outside Chaturmas (29) — January: Tue 26 · February: Thu 11, Thu 18, Mon 22, Tue 23, Sat 27 · March: Fri 5, Tue 9, Wed 10 · April: Sun 18, Fri 23, Tue 27 · May: Tue 4, Sat 8, Sun 16, Tue 25, Mon 31 · June: Mon 7, Tue 8, Mon 21 · July: Fri 2, Mon 5, Fri 9 · November: Thu 11, Mon 15, Thu 18, Tue 23 · December: Thu 2, Wed 15.
• New Jersey and US Eastern sunrise, inside Chaturmas (13) — July: Tue 20, Sun 25, Thu 29 · August: Fri 6, Fri 20, Sun 29 · September: Thu 2, Mon 6, Sat 11 · October: Mon 4, Wed 27, Sun 31 · November: Fri 5.
• London, outside Chaturmas (29) — January: Wed 20 (Shukla Trayodashi, Mrigashira) · Tue 26 (Krishna Panchami, Uttara Phalguni) · February: Thu 11 (Shukla Panchami, Revati) · Mon 22 (Krishna Dwitiya, Uttara Phalguni) · Tue 23 (Krishna Tritiya, Hasta) · Sat 27 (Krishna Saptami, Anuradha) · March: Fri 5 (Krishna Trayodashi, Shravana) · Wed 10 (Shukla Dwitiya, Revati) · April: Sun 18 (Shukla Trayodashi, Uttara Phalguni) · Fri 23 (Krishna Tritiya, Anuradha) · Wed 28 (Krishna Saptami, Uttara Ashadha) · May: Tue 4 (Krishna Trayodashi, Revati) · Sat 8 (Shukla Dwitiya, Rohini) · Wed 12 (Shukla Saptami, Pushya) · Sun 16 (Shukla Ekadashi, Uttara Phalguni) · Tue 25 (Krishna Panchami, Uttara Ashadha) · June: Tue 1 (Krishna Ekadashi, Revati) · Mon 7 (Shukla Tritiya, Punarvasu) · Mon 21 (Krishna Dwitiya, Uttara Ashadha) · Tue 22 (Krishna Tritiya, Shravana) · July: Fri 2 (Krishna Trayodashi, Rohini) · Mon 5 (Shukla Dwitiya, Pushya) · Sat 10 (Shukla Saptami, Hasta) · November: Thu 11 (Shukla Trayodashi, Revati) · Mon 15 (Krishna Dwitiya, Rohini) · Thu 18 (Krishna Panchami, Punarvasu) · December: Fri 3 (Shukla Panchami, Shravana) · Thu 9 (Shukla Ekadashi, Revati) · Wed 15 (Krishna Dwitiya, Punarvasu).
• London, inside Chaturmas (17) — July: Tue 20 (Krishna Dwitiya, Shravana) · Thu 29 (Krishna Ekadashi, Rohini) · August: Fri 6 (Shukla Panchami, Hasta) · Fri 20 (Krishna Tritiya, Uttara Bhadrapada) · Sun 22 (Krishna Panchami, Revati) · Sat 28 (Krishna Ekadashi, Punarvasu) · Sun 29 (Krishna Trayodashi, Pushya) · September: Thu 2 (Shukla Dwitiya, Uttara Phalguni) · Fri 3 (Shukla Tritiya, Hasta) · Tue 7 (Shukla Saptami, Anuradha) · Sat 11 (Shukla Ekadashi, Uttara Ashadha) · October: Mon 4 (Shukla Panchami, Anuradha) · Sun 10 (Shukla Ekadashi, Shravana) · Wed 20 (Krishna Panchami, Mrigashira) · Wed 27 (Krishna Trayodashi, Uttara Phalguni) · Sun 31 (Shukla Dwitiya, Anuradha) · November: Fri 5 (Shukla Saptami, Uttara Ashadha).
• London leaves out its Devshayani Ekadashi, 14 July, and its Sankranti days, as India does. 22 of its 46 dates are Shukla dates. Each date shows the tithi and nakshatra at London sunrise; other cities in Britain will match on nearly every date.

From a date on the list to your baby’s muhurat

A date on this list is open for Annaprashan in general. It is not yet a muhurat for your baby. The family Pandit makes two more checks.

First, the date against the baby’s birth star. The janma nakshatra (जन्म नक्षत्र) is the nakshatra the Moon was in when the baby was born. A day can be good for everyone and still unfavourable for one child. The usual first test counts from the birth nakshatra to the day’s nakshatra in groups of nine, called the taras; our Tarabala guide explains it. Our free Tarabala check takes the birth nakshatra and shows which of the coming 30 days pass, so use it in the month before the rite. For a date further out, ask Pandit Ji, which can read the day’s nakshatra at your city. Second, the hour. The Pandit chooses the time of the first morsel on the day itself.

So the shortlist does its work when the family takes three or four dates from it to the Pandit, rather than one. Pandit Ji, our priest guide, can help you prepare. It reads the panchang for any city and date, and it can work out the baby’s birth nakshatra from the date, time and place of birth. Pandit Ji cannot pick an Annaprashan date for you yet, so ask it to read the dates you like at your city, and take what you learn to your family Pandit.

On the day, the first food is traditionally rice cooked in milk with ghee, given with a gold or silver spoon. Many families then place a few objects before the child, such as a book, a coin and food, and watch which one the baby reaches for. It is taken as a happy sign, not a prediction. Some recipes add a touch of honey. Do not give honey before the first birthday: modern pediatric guidance says no honey under one year, and every baby in this window is under one.

Honest questions, honest answers

Our baby is ready in August. Is there any date? Yes, if your family permits Annaprashan in Chaturmas: August has three dates, on 6, 15 and 22 August. If your family defers it, the nearest dates are 10 July and 12 November. A baby who enters the sixth month in August completes eight months in November, so waiting can take the rite to the edge of the window or past it. Talk to your Pandit early.

Is any date open in the second half of September? No. Pitru Paksha closes 16 to 30 September in India.

Can we hold the rite on Ekadashi? The classical list of tithis includes Ekadashi. Many families who keep the Ekadashi grain fast choose another day. Both choices are found in practice.

Our baby was born in India but we live abroad. Which list do we use? The list for the place where the rite is held. The muhurat belongs to the place of the rite.

Is there an adhik maas in 2027? No. 2027 has no extra lunar month, so no month is closed for that reason.

Can we hold Annaprashan on a date that is not on the list? Many families do, for good reasons, such as a grandparent’s visit or a temple booking. A Pandit can choose the best hour on the day you have. This list shows where the classical day rules are fully met; it does not forbid the other days.

Going deeper

For the rite itself, what is prepared and how the morning runs, read our Annaprashan Muhurat 2026 guide. For the place of the rite among the sixteen samskaras, see the samskaras guide and our post on the 16 samskaras from birth to death. If the family also has a wedding to plan next year, our Vivah Muhurat 2027 guide lists the 2027 wedding dates the same way.

The practical step: find your baby’s window in the birth-month guide, pick three or four dates from the list for your city, check each on the daily panchang, ask Pandit Ji about the baby’s birth star for dates more than a month away or use the Tarabala check in the final month, and take the short list to your family Pandit.