Paush

Paush, also spelled Pausha, is a month in the Hindu lunisolar calendar and in the Indian national civil calendar used in India and Nepal. The name is linked to the Pausha month in traditional schemes and is sometimes associated with the nakshatra Pushya, which marks the period in some regional reckonings.

In civil use, Paush is the tenth month of the year and typically falls during December and January of the Gregorian calendar. The exact dates vary by year and by regional calendar systems due to differences between lunar and solar reckoning. A Paush month generally lasts 29 or 30 days and comprises two halves, the bright (Shukla Paksha) and the dark (Krishna Paksha), corresponding to the luminous and waning phases of the moon.

Seasonally, Paush is part of the winter season in much of South Asia, especially in northern regions where it is associated with cold weather and fog. Religious and cultural observances during Paush vary widely by community and locality; some traditions mark periods of fasting, charitable acts, or temple rituals, while others emphasize seasonal rites tied to agriculture, harvest cycles, or the calendar of festivals.

Overall, Paush serves as both a conventional unit of time in multiple calendars and a marker within seasonal and religious practices across Hindu and South Asian cultures.