Festival countdown · 2026
Upcoming Hindu Festivals 2026
The Hindu festivals still ahead, counted from today. Every date is computed from our own panchang engine, run for the Ujjain reference meridian, and checked against the mainstream all-India almanac. For a full year laid out month by month, see the complete 2026 festival calendar.
Next up: Hartalika Teej on સપ્ટેમ્બર 13 (in 2 days). 17 ઉત્સવો બાકી in 2026. Full guide: Hartalika Teej: the story, the vrat rules, and how to do the pooja at home.
Upcoming festivals
- સપ્ટે 13રવિવારIn 2 days
Hartalika Teej
Parvati's vrat to win Shiva, kept by married women without food or water. A sand lingam is made and the night is spent in worship.
Full guide: Hartalika Teej: the story, the vrat rules, and how to do the pooja at home
- સપ્ટે 14સોમવારIn 3 days
Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesha arrives in the home. The murti is installed with modak and durva grass, and stays until the visarjan.
Full guide: Ganesh Chaturthi: the 10-day household pooja, decoded day by day
For 2026: Ganesh Chaturthi 2026: the madhyahna sthapana window, city by city
- સપ્ટે 17ગુરુવારIn 6 days
Vishwakarma Puja
The divine architect is worshipped at Kanya sankranti. Workshops and craftsmen clean and garland their tools, and no work is done on them until the puja is over.
Full guide: Vishwakarma Puja: the day artisans and engineers worship their tools
- સપ્ટે 25શુક્રવારIn 14 days
Anant Chaturdashi
The Vishnu vrat that also closes the ten-day Ganesha festival with the visarjan. A fourteen-knot thread is tied on the right wrist and endurance is asked of Ananta.
Full guide: Anant Chaturdashi: the Anant Vrat, the fourteen knots, and Ganesh Visarjan
- ઑક્ટો 11રવિવારIn 30 days
Sharad Navaratri (Day 1)
The nine nights of Durga begin. The ghat is installed and the akhand jyoti is lit; the vrat runs to Vijayadashami.
Full guide: Navratri: what each of the 9 nights actually represents
For 2026: Navratri 2026: the ghatasthapana window, city by city
- ઑક્ટો 20મંગળવારIn 39 days
Dussehra (Vijayadashami)
Rama killed Ravana and Durga killed Mahishasura on the same day. Work begun on Vijayadashami is said to carry the victory of both.
Full guide: Dussehra: the day for crossing what couldn't be crossed before
For 2026: Dussehra 2026: Vijaya Muhurat and Aparahna Timings, City by City
- ઑક્ટો 29ગુરુવારIn 48 days
Karva Chauth
Married women fast without water from sunrise until they see the moon at night, then look at the husband through a sieve.
Full guide: Karva Chauth: the deeper meaning beyond the moon-and-husband ritual
For 2026: Karva Chauth 2026 Moonrise Time: Why the Fast Ends at a Different Minute in Every City
- નવે 6શુક્રવારIn 56 days
Dhanteras
Dhanvantari rose from the ocean with the pot of amrita. A small metal vessel and a few coins are bought; what enters the home now is said to stay.
Full guide: Dhanteras: Significance, Pooja Vidhi, and Why We Buy Gold
For 2026: Dhanteras 2026: The Pradosh Puja Window and Buying Muhurat, City by City
- નવે 8રવિવારIn 58 days
Diwali (Deepavali)
The festival of lights and the Lakshmi puja. Lakshmi visits homes that are clean, lit and welcoming; the puja is done in the pradosh window after sunset.
Full guide: Diwali: the deeper significance and the classical pooja vidhi
For 2026: Diwali 2026 Lakshmi Puja Muhurat: City-by-City Timings for India and AbroadDiwali 2026: Why the Five-Day Festival Runs Four Days, Not Five
- નવે 8રવિવારIn 58 days
Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali)
Krishna killed Narakasura before dawn. An oil bath is taken at sunrise and a single diya is lit at the doorway before nightfall.
Full guide: Diwali: the 5-day arc of light, decoded day by day
For 2026: Naraka Chaturdashi 2026: The Pre-Dawn Bath, and Why It Shares a Date With Diwali
- નવે 9સોમવારIn 59 days
Govardhan Puja (Annakut)
Krishna lifted the Govardhan hill to shelter Vrindavan. The annakut is made, a small mountain of cooked food offered and then shared with the whole house.
Full guide: Govardhan Puja and Annakut: the story, significance, and how to do the pooja at home
- નવે 11બુધવારIn 61 days
Bhai Dooj
Yamuna fed her brother Yama. The sister applies tilak on the brother's forehead and the meal she serves is remembered through the year.
Full guide: Bhai Dooj: the story, the tilak ritual, and how to celebrate it at home
For 2026: Bhai Dooj 2026: The Aparahna Tilak Window, City by City
- નવે 15રવિવારIn 65 days
Chhath Puja
The four-day Surya vrat of the Bhojpuri belt, peaking with the sunset and sunrise arghya to the Sun standing in the river. One of the hardest vrats kept.
Full guide: Chhath Puja: the 4-day Sun-worship that defines Bihar
For 2026: Chhath Puja 2026 Sandhya Arghya Time: Your Sunset, Not Patna'sChhath Puja 2026 Usha Arghya Time: Your Sunrise, and the Parana After
- નવે 21શનિવારIn 71 days
Tulsi Vivah
The ceremonial marriage of the tulsi plant to Vishnu that opens the wedding season. The courtyard tulsi is dressed as a bride at dusk.
- નવે 24મંગળવારIn 74 days
Kartik Purnima
The full moon that closes the Kartik vrat month. Varanasi lights the ghats for Dev Deepawali; it is also Guru Nanak Jayanti.
Also known as: Dev Deepawali (Varanasi), Guru Nanak Jayanti
Full guide: Kartik Purnima 2026: Dev Diwali, Its Significance, and Rituals
- ડિસે 20રવિવારIn 100 days
Gita Jayanti
The day Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna on the field of Kurukshetra. A chapter is read and the text is honoured on the home altar.
Full guide: Gita Jayanti 2026: The Day the Bhagavad Gita Was Spoken, and How to Mark It
- ડિસે 23બુધવારIn 103 days
Dattatreya Jayanti
The birth of Dattatreya, the union of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The Margashira full-moon evening is given to his worship and the reading of his charitra.
Full guide: Datta Jayanti 2026: Dattatreya's Story, His Twenty-Four Gurus and How the Day Is Observed
- જાન્યુ 14ગુરુવારIn 125 days
Lohri
The Punjab bonfire night before Makar Sankranti. Sesame, jaggery and popcorn go into the fire and the winter harvest is thanked.
- જાન્યુ 15શુક્રવારIn 126 days
Makar Sankranti
The Sun turns north into Capricorn. The first sankranti of the calendar year, marked with a til-gud exchange and a dip in the river at dawn.
Also known as: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Magh Bihu (Assam), Uttarayan (Gujarat), Khichdi (UP and Bihar)
Full guide: Makar Sankranti: why this is the only festival on a fixed solar date
- ફેબ્રુ 11ગુરુવારIn 153 days
Vasant Panchami (Saraswati Puja)
Saraswati is worshipped at the onset of spring. Books and instruments are placed before her, and a child is often given its first letters today.
Full guide: Saraswati Pooja: when students, musicians, and writers ask for grace
- માર્ચ 6શનિવારIn 176 days
Maha Shivaratri
The great night of Shiva. Devotees keep the vigil through the four watches, offering bilva leaves and water on the lingam until dawn.
Full guide: Maha Shivratri: why we stay awake all night, and what it does
- માર્ચ 22સોમવારIn 192 days
Holika Dahan
The bonfire on the Phalguna full moon that burns the old year. Prahlada walked out of the fire and Holika did not; the pyre is lit after sunset.
- માર્ચ 23મંગળવારIn 193 days
Holi (Dhulandi)
The day of colour, the morning after Holika Dahan. Elders are touched at the feet before colour is thrown on friends.
Full guide: Holi: why we burn last year tonight, and play with colors tomorrow
- એપ્રિલ 7બુધવારIn 208 days
Ugadi / Gudi Padwa
The lunar new year in the Deccan and the west. A gudi is raised at the doorway in Maharashtra; the bevu-bella of neem and jaggery is eaten in the south.
Also known as: Gudi Padwa (Maharashtra), Ugadi (Andhra, Telangana, Karnataka)
- એપ્રિલ 14બુધવારIn 215 days
Baisakhi (Vaisakhi)
The solar new year at Mesha sankranti and the Punjab harvest. The Khalsa was founded on this day, so the gurudwara stays open from dawn.
Also known as: Puthandu (Tamil Nadu), Pana Sankranti (Odisha), Pohela Boishakh (Bengal, Apr 15)
- એપ્રિલ 15ગુરુવારIn 216 days
Ram Navami
Rama was born at noon on the Chaitra ninth. The Ramayana is read and the cradle is rocked at midday.
Full guide: Ram Navami: when the king who never broke dharma was born
- એપ્રિલ 15ગુરુવારIn 216 days
Vishu
Kerala's new year at the solar turn. The Vishukkani is arranged the night before so gold, grain and the image of Krishna are the first sight on waking.
- એપ્રિલ 19સોમવારIn 220 days
Mahavir Jayanti
The birth of Mahavira, the last Tirthankara. Jain temples hold the abhishekam of the idol and the day turns on non-violence and restraint.
- એપ્રિલ 20મંગળવારIn 221 days
Hanuman Jayanti
Hanuman was born on the Chaitra full moon. The Sundarakanda and the Hanuman Chalisa are read; sindoor and a garland go on the idol.
Full guide: Hanuman Jayanti: the birthday of strength itself
- મે 9રવિવારIn 240 days
Akshaya Tritiya
What begins today does not diminish. One of the four abhijit-style days when every hour is auspicious; gold and grain bought now are said to multiply.
Full guide: Akshaya Tritiya: why this date never has a bad muhurat
- મે 20ગુરુવારIn 251 days
Buddha Purnima
The Vaishakha full moon on which the Buddha was born, reached enlightenment and passed away. Bodhi trees are watered and lamps are lit at the vihara.
- જૂન 13રવિવારIn 275 days
Ganga Dussehra
The day Ganga came down to earth. A dip in any river at first light carries the intent of a bath at Haridwar.
- જૂન 14સોમવારIn 276 days
Nirjala Ekadashi
The one Ekadashi kept without a drop of water from sunrise to sunrise. Bhima kept only this one; a pot of water given away today carries the year's vrat.
Full guide: Ekadashi fasting: why the 11th lunar day is the most powerful Vedic fast
- જુલાઈ 5સોમવારIn 297 days
Rath Yatra (Puri)
Jagannath leaves the Puri temple on the great chariot with Balabhadra and Subhadra. Odisha empties into the streets to pull the ropes.
- જુલાઈ 18રવિવારIn 310 days
Guru Purnima
Vyasa's day, when the teacher is honoured. Bow to the one whose words still shape your decisions; if the teacher is gone, light a lamp before their photograph.
Full guide: Guru Purnima: honoring teachers, even those you have outgrown
- ઑગસ્ટ 6શુક્રવારIn 329 days
Naga Panchami
The serpent gods are offered milk on the Shravana fifth. A day of protection from snakebite and of the old bond between the household and the naga.
Full guide: Naga Panchami: the day India worships the serpent, and why
- ઑગસ્ટ 17મંગળવારIn 340 days
Raksha Bandhan
The sister ties a thread on the brother's wrist and the brother promises protection for the year. Old bond, simple gesture, no substitute.
Full guide: Raksha Bandhan 2026: Date, Bhadra Time and Rakhi Muhurat
- ઑગસ્ટ 25બુધવારIn 348 days
Krishna Janmashtami
Krishna was born at midnight on the eighth of Bhadrapada's dark fortnight. The fast is broken after the moon rises and the midnight abhishekam is done.
Full guide: Janmashtami 2026: Date, Midnight Puja Time and Vrat Vidhi
- સપ્ટે 3શુક્રવારIn 357 days
Hartalika Teej
Parvati's vrat to win Shiva, kept by married women without food or water. A sand lingam is made and the night is spent in worship.
Full guide: Hartalika Teej: the story, the vrat rules, and how to do the pooja at home
- સપ્ટે 4શનિવારIn 358 days
Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesha arrives in the home. The murti is installed with modak and durva grass, and stays until the visarjan.
Full guide: Ganesh Chaturthi: the 10-day household pooja, decoded day by day
- સપ્ટે 12રવિવારIn 366 days
Onam (Thiruvonam)
Kerala's harvest festival, the day King Mahabali returns to his people. The pookalam is laid and the sadya is served on a banana leaf.
Full guide: Onam: the 10-day festival of King Mahabali's return
- સપ્ટે 14મંગળવારIn 368 days
Anant Chaturdashi
The Vishnu vrat that also closes the ten-day Ganesha festival with the visarjan. A fourteen-knot thread is tied on the right wrist and endurance is asked of Ananta.
Full guide: Anant Chaturdashi: the Anant Vrat, the fourteen knots, and Ganesh Visarjan
- સપ્ટે 17શુક્રવારIn 371 days
Vishwakarma Puja
The divine architect is worshipped at Kanya sankranti. Workshops and craftsmen clean and garland their tools, and no work is done on them until the puja is over.
Full guide: Vishwakarma Puja: the day artisans and engineers worship their tools
- સપ્ટે 30ગુરુવારIn 384 days
Sharad Navaratri (Day 1)
The nine nights of Durga begin. The ghat is installed and the akhand jyoti is lit; the vrat runs to Vijayadashami.
Full guide: Navratri: what each of the 9 nights actually represents
- ઑક્ટો 9શનિવારIn 393 days
Dussehra (Vijayadashami)
Rama killed Ravana and Durga killed Mahishasura on the same day. Work begun on Vijayadashami is said to carry the victory of both.
Full guide: Dussehra: the day for crossing what couldn't be crossed before
- ઑક્ટો 18સોમવારIn 402 days
Karva Chauth
Married women fast without water from sunrise until they see the moon at night, then look at the husband through a sieve.
Full guide: Karva Chauth: the deeper meaning beyond the moon-and-husband ritual
- ઑક્ટો 27બુધવારIn 411 days
Dhanteras
Dhanvantari rose from the ocean with the pot of amrita. A small metal vessel and a few coins are bought; what enters the home now is said to stay.
Full guide: Dhanteras: Significance, Pooja Vidhi, and Why We Buy Gold
- ઑક્ટો 28ગુરુવારIn 412 days
Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali)
Krishna killed Narakasura before dawn. An oil bath is taken at sunrise and a single diya is lit at the doorway before nightfall.
Full guide: Diwali: the 5-day arc of light, decoded day by day
- ઑક્ટો 29શુક્રવારIn 413 days
Diwali (Deepavali)
The festival of lights and the Lakshmi puja. Lakshmi visits homes that are clean, lit and welcoming; the puja is done in the pradosh window after sunset.
Full guide: Diwali: the deeper significance and the classical pooja vidhi
- ઑક્ટો 30શનિવારIn 414 days
Govardhan Puja (Annakut)
Krishna lifted the Govardhan hill to shelter Vrindavan. The annakut is made, a small mountain of cooked food offered and then shared with the whole house.
Full guide: Govardhan Puja and Annakut: the story, significance, and how to do the pooja at home
- ઑક્ટો 31રવિવારIn 415 days
Bhai Dooj
Yamuna fed her brother Yama. The sister applies tilak on the brother's forehead and the meal she serves is remembered through the year.
Full guide: Bhai Dooj: the story, the tilak ritual, and how to celebrate it at home
- નવે 4ગુરુવારIn 419 days
Chhath Puja
The four-day Surya vrat of the Bhojpuri belt, peaking with the sunset and sunrise arghya to the Sun standing in the river. One of the hardest vrats kept.
Full guide: Chhath Puja: the 4-day Sun-worship that defines Bihar
- નવે 11ગુરુવારIn 426 days
Tulsi Vivah
The ceremonial marriage of the tulsi plant to Vishnu that opens the wedding season. The courtyard tulsi is dressed as a bride at dusk.
- નવે 14રવિવારIn 429 days
Kartik Purnima
The full moon that closes the Kartik vrat month. Varanasi lights the ghats for Dev Deepawali; it is also Guru Nanak Jayanti.
Also known as: Dev Deepawali (Varanasi), Guru Nanak Jayanti
Full guide: Kartik Purnima 2026: Dev Diwali, Its Significance, and Rituals
- ડિસે 9ગુરુવારIn 454 days
Gita Jayanti
The day Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna on the field of Kurukshetra. A chapter is read and the text is honoured on the home altar.
Full guide: Gita Jayanti 2026: The Day the Bhagavad Gita Was Spoken, and How to Mark It
- ડિસે 13સોમવારIn 458 days
Dattatreya Jayanti
The birth of Dattatreya, the union of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The Margashira full-moon evening is given to his worship and the reading of his charitra.
Full guide: Datta Jayanti 2026: Dattatreya's Story, His Twenty-Four Gurus and How the Day Is Observed
- જાન્યુ 14શુક્રવારIn 490 days
Lohri
The Punjab bonfire night before Makar Sankranti. Sesame, jaggery and popcorn go into the fire and the winter harvest is thanked.
- જાન્યુ 15શનિવારIn 491 days
Makar Sankranti
The Sun turns north into Capricorn. The first sankranti of the calendar year, marked with a til-gud exchange and a dip in the river at dawn.
Also known as: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Magh Bihu (Assam), Uttarayan (Gujarat), Khichdi (UP and Bihar)
Full guide: Makar Sankranti: why this is the only festival on a fixed solar date
- ફેબ્રુ 1મંગળવારIn 508 days
Vasant Panchami (Saraswati Puja)
Saraswati is worshipped at the onset of spring. Books and instruments are placed before her, and a child is often given its first letters today.
Full guide: Saraswati Pooja: when students, musicians, and writers ask for grace
- ફેબ્રુ 23બુધવારIn 530 days
Maha Shivaratri
The great night of Shiva. Devotees keep the vigil through the four watches, offering bilva leaves and water on the lingam until dawn.
Full guide: Maha Shivratri: why we stay awake all night, and what it does
- માર્ચ 10શુક્રવારIn 546 days
Holika Dahan
The bonfire on the Phalguna full moon that burns the old year. Prahlada walked out of the fire and Holika did not; the pyre is lit after sunset.
- માર્ચ 11શનિવારIn 547 days
Holi (Dhulandi)
The day of colour, the morning after Holika Dahan. Elders are touched at the feet before colour is thrown on friends.
Full guide: Holi: why we burn last year tonight, and play with colors tomorrow
- માર્ચ 27સોમવારIn 563 days
Ugadi / Gudi Padwa
The lunar new year in the Deccan and the west. A gudi is raised at the doorway in Maharashtra; the bevu-bella of neem and jaggery is eaten in the south.
Also known as: Gudi Padwa (Maharashtra), Ugadi (Andhra, Telangana, Karnataka)
- એપ્રિલ 4મંગળવારIn 571 days
Ram Navami
Rama was born at noon on the Chaitra ninth. The Ramayana is read and the cradle is rocked at midday.
Full guide: Ram Navami: when the king who never broke dharma was born
- એપ્રિલ 7શુક્રવારIn 574 days
Mahavir Jayanti
The birth of Mahavira, the last Tirthankara. Jain temples hold the abhishekam of the idol and the day turns on non-violence and restraint.
- એપ્રિલ 9રવિવારIn 576 days
Hanuman Jayanti
Hanuman was born on the Chaitra full moon. The Sundarakanda and the Hanuman Chalisa are read; sindoor and a garland go on the idol.
Full guide: Hanuman Jayanti: the birthday of strength itself
- એપ્રિલ 14શુક્રવારIn 581 days
Baisakhi (Vaisakhi)
The solar new year at Mesha sankranti and the Punjab harvest. The Khalsa was founded on this day, so the gurudwara stays open from dawn.
Also known as: Puthandu (Tamil Nadu), Pana Sankranti (Odisha), Pohela Boishakh (Bengal, Apr 15)
- એપ્રિલ 14શુક્રવારIn 581 days
Vishu
Kerala's new year at the solar turn. The Vishukkani is arranged the night before so gold, grain and the image of Krishna are the first sight on waking.
- એપ્રિલ 27ગુરુવારIn 594 days
Akshaya Tritiya
What begins today does not diminish. One of the four abhijit-style days when every hour is auspicious; gold and grain bought now are said to multiply.
Full guide: Akshaya Tritiya: why this date never has a bad muhurat
- મે 8સોમવારIn 605 days
Buddha Purnima
The Vaishakha full moon on which the Buddha was born, reached enlightenment and passed away. Bodhi trees are watered and lamps are lit at the vihara.
- જૂન 2શુક્રવારIn 630 days
Ganga Dussehra
The day Ganga came down to earth. A dip in any river at first light carries the intent of a bath at Haridwar.
- જૂન 3શનિવારIn 631 days
Nirjala Ekadashi
The one Ekadashi kept without a drop of water from sunrise to sunrise. Bhima kept only this one; a pot of water given away today carries the year's vrat.
Full guide: Ekadashi fasting: why the 11th lunar day is the most powerful Vedic fast
- જૂન 24શનિવારIn 652 days
Rath Yatra (Puri)
Jagannath leaves the Puri temple on the great chariot with Balabhadra and Subhadra. Odisha empties into the streets to pull the ropes.
- જુલાઈ 6ગુરુવારIn 664 days
Guru Purnima
Vyasa's day, when the teacher is honoured. Bow to the one whose words still shape your decisions; if the teacher is gone, light a lamp before their photograph.
Full guide: Guru Purnima: honoring teachers, even those you have outgrown
- જુલાઈ 26બુધવારIn 684 days
Naga Panchami
The serpent gods are offered milk on the Shravana fifth. A day of protection from snakebite and of the old bond between the household and the naga.
Full guide: Naga Panchami: the day India worships the serpent, and why
- ઑગસ્ટ 5શનિવારIn 694 days
Raksha Bandhan
The sister ties a thread on the brother's wrist and the brother promises protection for the year. Old bond, simple gesture, no substitute.
Full guide: Raksha Bandhan 2026: Date, Bhadra Time and Rakhi Muhurat
- ઑગસ્ટ 13રવિવારIn 702 days
Krishna Janmashtami
Krishna was born at midnight on the eighth of Bhadrapada's dark fortnight. The fast is broken after the moon rises and the midnight abhishekam is done.
Full guide: Janmashtami 2026: Date, Midnight Puja Time and Vrat Vidhi
- ઑગસ્ટ 23બુધવારIn 712 days
Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesha arrives in the home. The murti is installed with modak and durva grass, and stays until the visarjan.
Full guide: Ganesh Chaturthi: the 10-day household pooja, decoded day by day
- સપ્ટે 1શુક્રવારIn 721 days
Onam (Thiruvonam)
Kerala's harvest festival, the day King Mahabali returns to his people. The pookalam is laid and the sadya is served on a banana leaf.
Full guide: Onam: the 10-day festival of King Mahabali's return
- સપ્ટે 2શનિવારIn 722 days
Anant Chaturdashi
The Vishnu vrat that also closes the ten-day Ganesha festival with the visarjan. A fourteen-knot thread is tied on the right wrist and endurance is asked of Ananta.
Full guide: Anant Chaturdashi: the Anant Vrat, the fourteen knots, and Ganesh Visarjan
- સપ્ટે 16શનિવારIn 736 days
Vishwakarma Puja
The divine architect is worshipped at Kanya sankranti. Workshops and craftsmen clean and garland their tools, and no work is done on them until the puja is over.
Full guide: Vishwakarma Puja: the day artisans and engineers worship their tools
- સપ્ટે 19મંગળવારIn 739 days
Sharad Navaratri (Day 1)
The nine nights of Durga begin. The ghat is installed and the akhand jyoti is lit; the vrat runs to Vijayadashami.
Full guide: Navratri: what each of the 9 nights actually represents
- સપ્ટે 27બુધવારIn 747 days
Dussehra (Vijayadashami)
Rama killed Ravana and Durga killed Mahishasura on the same day. Work begun on Vijayadashami is said to carry the victory of both.
Full guide: Dussehra: the day for crossing what couldn't be crossed before
- ઑક્ટો 7શનિવારIn 757 days
Karva Chauth
Married women fast without water from sunrise until they see the moon at night, then look at the husband through a sieve.
Full guide: Karva Chauth: the deeper meaning beyond the moon-and-husband ritual
- ઑક્ટો 16સોમવારIn 766 days
Dhanteras
Dhanvantari rose from the ocean with the pot of amrita. A small metal vessel and a few coins are bought; what enters the home now is said to stay.
Full guide: Dhanteras: Significance, Pooja Vidhi, and Why We Buy Gold
- ઑક્ટો 17મંગળવારIn 767 days
Diwali (Deepavali)
The festival of lights and the Lakshmi puja. Lakshmi visits homes that are clean, lit and welcoming; the puja is done in the pradosh window after sunset.
Full guide: Diwali: the deeper significance and the classical pooja vidhi
- ઑક્ટો 17મંગળવારIn 767 days
Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali)
Krishna killed Narakasura before dawn. An oil bath is taken at sunrise and a single diya is lit at the doorway before nightfall.
Full guide: Diwali: the 5-day arc of light, decoded day by day
- ઑક્ટો 18બુધવારIn 768 days
Govardhan Puja (Annakut)
Krishna lifted the Govardhan hill to shelter Vrindavan. The annakut is made, a small mountain of cooked food offered and then shared with the whole house.
Full guide: Govardhan Puja and Annakut: the story, significance, and how to do the pooja at home
- ઑક્ટો 19ગુરુવારIn 769 days
Bhai Dooj
Yamuna fed her brother Yama. The sister applies tilak on the brother's forehead and the meal she serves is remembered through the year.
Full guide: Bhai Dooj: the story, the tilak ritual, and how to celebrate it at home
- ઑક્ટો 23સોમવારIn 773 days
Chhath Puja
The four-day Surya vrat of the Bhojpuri belt, peaking with the sunset and sunrise arghya to the Sun standing in the river. One of the hardest vrats kept.
Full guide: Chhath Puja: the 4-day Sun-worship that defines Bihar
- ઑક્ટો 29રવિવારIn 779 days
Tulsi Vivah
The ceremonial marriage of the tulsi plant to Vishnu that opens the wedding season. The courtyard tulsi is dressed as a bride at dusk.
- નવે 2ગુરુવારIn 783 days
Kartik Purnima
The full moon that closes the Kartik vrat month. Varanasi lights the ghats for Dev Deepawali; it is also Guru Nanak Jayanti.
Also known as: Dev Deepawali (Varanasi), Guru Nanak Jayanti
Full guide: Kartik Purnima 2026: Dev Diwali, Its Significance, and Rituals
- નવે 27સોમવારIn 808 days
Gita Jayanti
The day Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna on the field of Kurukshetra. A chapter is read and the text is honoured on the home altar.
Full guide: Gita Jayanti 2026: The Day the Bhagavad Gita Was Spoken, and How to Mark It
- ડિસે 1શુક્રવારIn 812 days
Dattatreya Jayanti
The birth of Dattatreya, the union of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The Margashira full-moon evening is given to his worship and the reading of his charitra.
Full guide: Datta Jayanti 2026: Dattatreya's Story, His Twenty-Four Gurus and How the Day Is Observed
Browse the full 2026 calendar
This hub shows only what is still ahead. For every major festival of 2026, arranged month by month with the reckoning behind each date, open the full calendar. For anything time-of-day sensitive, a wedding, a house-warming, the start of a venture, a date alone is not enough; those need a muhurat computed for your city.
Hindu Festivals 2026 calendar
The complete month-by-month list of 2026 festivals with dates and significance.
Open the full calendar
Today's Panchang
The tithi, nakshatra, yoga, karana and vara for today, computed for your city.
See today's panchang
Muhurat finder
Auspicious windows in the next 60 days for marriage, griha pravesh, business and more.
Find a muhurat
FAQ
- When is Diwali in 2026?
- Diwali falls on November 8, 2026, the Kartika amavasya, with the Lakshmi puja in the pradosh window that evening. The five-day sequence runs Dhanteras on November 6, Choti Diwali and Diwali on November 8, Govardhan Puja on November 9 and Bhai Dooj on November 11.
- When is Holi in 2026?
- Holi is played on March 4, 2026. Holika Dahan is lit the night before, on March 3, on the Phalguna full moon, and the colours follow the next morning.
- Does 2026 have an adhik maas, and does it move any festivals?
- Yes. 2026 carries an adhik Jyeshtha maas from about May 17 to June 15, an extra lunar month inserted to keep the lunar and solar calendars aligned. Purushottam maas hosts no major festivals, so the summer and autumn festivals sit roughly a lunar month later than a common year. That is why Guru Purnima is on July 29 and Raksha Bandhan on August 28 rather than a month earlier. Calendars that skip the adhik maas mis-date these festivals.
- Where do these dates come from?
- Each date is computed by our own panchang engine, run for the Ujjain reference meridian for every day of 2026, and then checked against the mainstream all-India almanac. The engine also detects the 2026 adhik maas. Where our sunrise reckoning and the classical day-selection rule for a festival differ by a day, we show the mainstream all-India date, since that is the one readers cross-check against.
- Why do some sources list a festival one day apart from this calendar?
- A Hindu festival is tied to a tithi, a lunar day that begins and ends at a fixed astronomical moment rather than at midnight. Whether that tithi is current at the ritual time, which can be sunrise, midday, evening or midnight depending on the festival, shifts with your longitude, so Chennai and Delhi can observe the same festival a day apart. This calendar uses the mainstream all-India reckoning; your local panchang is the authority for your own city.
- How do I find an auspicious muhurat for a wedding or house-warming in 2026?
- A festival date and a muhurat are not the same thing. A muhurat is a specific window scored on the five panchang limbs (tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga, karana) for your event and your location, and the good window inside a day can be a couple of hours long. Use the muhurat calculators linked on this page; they compute the top windows for your city and, with a free account, factor your chart.
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