In Jainism, there are two traditional ways of observing the festival that is commonly called Paryushan, and the “8 days” refers to the Śvetāmbara practice.

• Śvetāmbara (8 days): The eight days are a period of deep reflection, fasting, and study. The last day is Samvatsari, the great day of forgiveness (Michhami Dukkadam). The days are often filled with praying, vrata (vows), and especially the public reading of Kalpasutra and related teachings. The emphasis is on confession, self-purification, and forgiveness. You can read more about the eight-day format and its meaning here

• Digambar (Das Lakshana Parva, 10 days): In Digambar communities, the period is observed for ten days, with each day highlighting one supreme virtue (dashalakshana): Kshama, Mardhava, Arjava, Shaucha, Satya, Samyama, Tapa, Tyaga, Akinchanya, Brahmacharya. The festival ends with a day of forgiveness (Kshamavani). You can read more about this Digambar observance here

Dates (concrete for 2025):

• Śvetāmbara Paryushan: Aug 21, 2025 to Aug 28, 2025; Samvatsari on Aug 28, 2025.
• Digambar Das Lakshana Parva: Aug 29, 2025 to Sep 7, 2025; final forgiveness observance (Kshamavani) follows after, in the Digambara calendar.

Essence

• The core aim in both traditions is cleansing of karma through self-discipline, study, and offering/receiving forgiveness; the methods differ (8-day versus 10-day structure and the associated practices), but the spiritual goal remains the same.