Grahan 2027
and every surya and chandra grahan 2026–2028, for India

• The kitchen stops for the sutakNo fresh cooking from the start of the sutak to the end of the grahan; tulsi leaves or kusha grass are laid in stored food and water, which households keep as protecting it.
• The temple and the idols are coveredTemples close their doors and homes cover their idols; worship is by japa, not by touch.
• Japa during the grahanThe grahan is held the best time for japa of one’s mantra: a mantra said then is said to bear fruit many times over.
• Bath and daan after the mokshaWhen it ends, the family bathes, the house is cleaned and sprinkled with Ganga jal, fresh food is cooked, and daan is given, often grain or clothes.
• Nothing new is begunNo muhurat is taken from the sutak to the end of the grahan: no wedding, griha pravesh, purchase or journey begins then.
• Children, the elderly, the ill and the pregnantTradition relaxes the sutak fast for children, the elderly and the ill, who eat as they need. Pregnant women are asked to stay indoors, rest and keep away from knives and needles during the grahan, as families have long advised.

What North Indian households keep, as tradition. Never look at the Sun directly, even in part eclipse: use eclipse glasses or a pinhole.