Paryushan Parva is a sacred Jain festival with two main traditions:

• Digambar Jains observe Das Lakshana Parva, a 10-day period, with each day focusing on one virtue.
• Śvetāmbara Jains observe Paryushan for 8 days, with Samvatsari (the day of forgiveness) on the last day.

How the 10 days are understood (Digambar tradition)

• The festival is called Das Lakshana Parva (ten virtues). Each day is dedicated to practicing a specific virtue:

1) Kshama — Forgiveness 2) Mardava — Humility 3) Arjava — Straightforwardness 4) Shaucha — Contentment / purity 5) Satya — Truth 6) Samyam — Self-restraint 7) Tapa — Austerities 8) Tyag — Renunciation / charity 9) Akinchan — Non-possessiveness 10) Brahmacharya — Chastity

• On these days, people engage in fasting, self-reflection, readings (often Kalpa Sutra), and prayers to cultivate these virtues. The last day, Samvatsari, is the major day of forgiveness and reconciliation with others. This frame of 10 days and their focus is a hallmark of the Digambar Paryushan practice. ( jainknowledge.com)

How the 8 days are understood (Śvetāmbara tradition)

• Śvetāmbara Jains observe Paryushan for 8 days. The last day is Samvatsari (the day of forgiveness), a central focus of practice and reconciliation.
• The 8-day pattern centers on intensified spiritual disciplines—reading scriptures (notably Kalpa Sutra), fasting, meditation, prayer, and confession—culminating in the forgiveness rite on Samvatsari. The days themselves do not have separate named themes like the Digambar Das Lakshana Parva; the overall period is a concentrated retreat for self-purification and peace. ( jainknowledge.com)

Key practical points for both traditions

• Fasting, self-discipline, scriptural reading, and prayer are common across both traditions during Paryushan.
• Samvatsari is the highlight in both paths: a day to seek forgiveness and to grant forgiveness to others, establishing a spirit of harmony and non-harming.

You can read more on how the Digambar Das Lakshana Parva is described and the 10 virtues here and about why Paryushan is 8 days here