Somavati Amavasya

Religious observance celebrated when a
new moon (amavasya) falls on a
Monday, which can thus occur in any
month in the year. On the new moon
day the sun and moon travel together
during the daylight sky, and when this
happens on the Monday, whose presiding planet is the moon, this confluence
is deemed particularly favorable.
Another auspicious connection arises
because Monday’s presiding deity, the
god Shiva, also has mythic connections
with the moon. A Somavati Amavasya is
thus judged a particularly beneficial
time to worship Shiva, as well as to
bathe (snana) in a sacred river such as
the Ganges, or to perform any other religious act.