The bright fortnight
Sanskrit shukla (bright) + paksha (fortnight): the fifteen days from new moon to full moon.
The half of the lunar month in which the moon waxes. Many festivals fall in it, counted as the first, second, third day and so on.
Ekadashi is the sacred eleventh lunar day of Vishnu, kept with fasting, prayer and restraint of the senses. Its origin, fasting levels and Parana explained.
The Panchang, Hinduism's lunar-solar calendar, tracks the relationship between Sun and Moon across five limbs to determine auspicious timings and festivals.
Full moon and new moon mark the two climactic points of the lunar cycle, one turned toward radiant celebration and the other toward stillness and ancestors.
The sacred story from the Brahmanda Purana of the Amla tree (Indian Gooseberry) created from Lord Vishnu's tears, granting salvation even to a sinful hunter in Phalguna Shukla Paksha.
The divine katha of Harishayani Ekadashi marking the beginning of the four sacred months of Chaturmas when Lord Vishnu rests upon Sheshanaga.
The story from the Padma Purana of Malyavan and Pushpavati liberated from a ghostly demonic curse by observing Jaya Ekadashi in Magha Shukla Paksha.