Festival calendar

The Living Rhythm of India's Year

Indian festivals follow the lunar calendar, so their dates move each year. Find every date for 2026 and 2027, what each festival means, and a puja guide to print.

November 2026 to December 2027

Festival Calendar

Dates are for India and can differ by a day in your city or country. Tap a highlighted day to see the festival.

November 2026

6 Nov Dhanteras Diwali begins

7 Nov Choti Diwali Lamps lit in the evening

8 Nov Diwali · Lakshmi Puja Naraka Chaturdashi in South India

10 Nov Govardhan Puja · Bali Padyami

11 Nov Bhai Dooj

January 2027

14 Jan Makar Sankranti · Pongal Many regions also on 15 Jan

February 2027

11 Feb Vasant Panchami Saraswati Puja

March 2027

6 Mar Maha Shivaratri Night vigil

21 Mar Holika Dahan Bonfire in the evening

22 Mar Holi Festival of colours

April 2027

7 Apr Ugadi · Gudi Padwa New Year

15 Apr Ram Navami

20 Apr Hanuman Jayanti

May 2027

8 May Akshaya Tritiya

July 2027

18 Jul Guru Purnima Honouring teachers

August 2027

13 Aug Varamahalakshmi Vratha

17 Aug Raksha Bandhan

24 Aug Krishna Janmashtami

September 2027

3 Sep Gowri Habba

4 Sep Ganesh Chaturthi

12 Sep Onam Thiruvonam

30 Sep Navaratri begins

October 2027

7 Oct Durga Ashtami

8 Oct Maha Navami · Ayudha Puja

9 Oct Vijayadashami · Dasara

18 Oct Karwa Chauth

27 Oct Dhanteras

29 Oct Diwali · Lakshmi Puja

30 Oct Govardhan Puja · Bali Padyami

31 Oct Bhai Dooj

November 2027

14 Nov Kartika Purnima · Dev Diwali

December 2027

9 Dec Gita Jayanti

In depth

Festival Guides

What each festival means, how families celebrate it, and a simple puja guide you can print.

6–11 November 2026 · Lakshmi Puja Sun 8 Nov

Diwali

The festival of lights

Diwali marks the victory of light over darkness. Homes are cleaned and lit with rows of clay diyas, rangoli is drawn at the doorstep, sweets are shared with neighbours, and the family gathers for Lakshmi Puja on the new-moon night. In South India the main day begins before dawn with an oil bath for Naraka Chaturdashi.

Traditions

Day 1 Dhanteras (6 Nov): buy something new, often brass or silver. Day 2 Naraka Chaturdashi: oil bath before sunrise. Day 3 Lakshmi Puja (8 Nov): lamps, puja and sweets. Day 4 Govardhan Puja or Bali Padyami. Day 5 Bhai Dooj (11 Nov): sisters pray for their brothers.

Open the Diwali companionStory · puja · recipe · craft · shopping list

Simple guide (English)

Detailed puja vidhi with Sanskrit mantras: Devanagari · Kannada script · Telugu script

14–15 January 2027

Makar Sankranti and Pongal

The harvest thanksgiving

When the sun moves into Capricorn, all of India thanks the sun, the earth and the cattle for the harvest, under many names. In Tamil Nadu it is Pongal, when rice and milk are boiled in a new pot until they overflow. Karnataka shares ellu bella and Maharashtra shares til-gul, both with the words "eat sesame and jaggery, speak sweetly". Gujarat fills the sky with kites for Uttarayan, Punjab lights Lohri bonfires, and Assam feasts for Bhogali Bihu.

Traditions

Draw a big rangoli or kolam, cook sweet pongal or khichdi, share ellu bella or til-gul, fly kites, sit by a Lohri fire, and give thanks to the sun at sunrise.

Open the Makar Sankranti companionStory · puja · recipe · craft · shopping list

Simple guide (English)

Detailed puja vidhi with Sanskrit mantras: Devanagari · Kannada script · Telugu script

21–22 March 2027

Holi

The festival of colours

Holi welcomes spring. On the full-moon evening a bonfire is lit for Holika Dahan, remembering how the child Prahlada was protected by his faith. The next morning is pure play: dry colours, water and sweets with friends and neighbours.

Traditions

Holika Dahan bonfire (21 Mar), natural colours from flowers and turmeric, gujiya and thandai, and visiting elders for blessings.

Open the Holi companionStory · puja · recipe · craft · shopping list

Wednesday 7 April 2027

Ugadi

New Year in the Deccan: Ugadi and Gudi Padwa

Ugadi begins the new lunar year in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and the same day is Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, where a gudi flag is raised at the window. Doorways are hung with fresh mango leaves, the house is cleaned, and everyone eats a little neem and jaggery (bevu bella in Kannada, ugadi pachadi in Telugu) to accept the bitter and the sweet the year will bring. In the evening the family listens to the reading of the new year's almanac, the panchanga shravana.

Traditions

Oil bath at dawn, mango-leaf toran, a gudi at the window in Maharashtra, new clothes, bevu bella or ugadi pachadi, obbattu, bobbatlu or puran poli, and panchanga shravana.

Open the Ugadi companionStory · puja · recipe · craft · shopping list

Simple guide (English)

Detailed puja vidhi with Sanskrit mantras: Devanagari · Kannada script · Telugu script

Friday 13 August 2027

Varamahalakshmi Vratha

Lakshmi, the giver of boons

Celebrated on the Friday before the full moon of Shravana, mainly in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. A kalasha is decorated as the Goddess Lakshmi with a silk saree, jewellery and flowers, and the women of the house pray for the health and prosperity of the whole family.

Traditions

Kalasha decoration, the sacred yellow thread (dora) tied on the wrist, nine kinds of sweets as naivedya, and inviting women friends for arishina kumkuma.

Open the Varamahalakshmi Vratha companionStory · puja · recipe · craft · shopping list

Simple guide (English)

Detailed puja vidhi with Sanskrit mantras: Devanagari · Kannada script · Telugu script

Saturday 4 September 2027

Ganesh Chaturthi

Welcoming the remover of obstacles

Ganesha is welcomed home as an honoured guest, in a clay idol that is worshipped for one, three, five or ten days and then returned to water. Maharashtra celebrates with grand public pandals, Tamil Nadu calls it Vinayaka Chaturthi, and in Karnataka the day before is Gowri Habba, when his mother Gowri is worshipped first.

Traditions

An eco-friendly clay idol, 21 durva grass blades, modak, kozhukattai or kadubu, Gowri Habba the day before in Karnataka, and a gentle visarjan in a bucket at home.

Open the Ganesh Chaturthi companionStory · puja · recipe · craft · shopping list

Simple guide (English)

Detailed puja vidhi with Sanskrit mantras: Devanagari · Kannada script · Telugu script

Sunday 12 September 2027

Onam

Kerala's harvest homecoming

Ten days welcoming the legendary King Mahabali, whose return is celebrated with flower carpets, grand vegetarian feasts served on banana leaves, snake-boat races and dances.

Traditions

Pookalam flower carpets, the Onam sadya on a banana leaf, new clothes (onakodi) and the Thiruvathira dance.

Open the Onam companionStory · puja · recipe · craft · shopping list

30 September – 9 October 2027

Navaratri and Dasara

Nine nights of the Goddess

Nine nights honour the Goddess in her many forms. South Indian homes set up a doll display on steps (golu in Tamil Nadu, bommala koluvu in Andhra, bombe habba in Karnataka), Gujarat dances garba and dandiya, Bengal celebrates Durga Puja, and the north stages the Ramlila. Saraswati is worshipped with books and instruments, Ayudha Puja honours tools and vehicles, and Vijayadashami is a lucky day to begin learning.

Traditions

Golu doll display, garba nights, evening arati and sundal for visitors, Saraswati Puja (books rest for a day), Ayudha Puja (8 Oct) and Vijayadashami (9 Oct).

Open the Navaratri companionStory · puja · recipe · craft · shopping list

Simple guide (English)

Detailed puja vidhi with Sanskrit mantras: Devanagari · Kannada script · Telugu script

Free to print

Puja Handouts

Two-page guides with everything you need, the steps of a simple home puja, prayers with their meaning and ideas for children, plus detailed vidhi in Sanskrit.

DiwaliSimple guide · English · 2 pages Makar Sankranti and PongalSimple guide · English · 2 pages UgadiSimple guide · English · 2 pages Varamahalakshmi VrathaSimple guide · English · 2 pages Ganesh ChaturthiSimple guide · English · 2 pages Navaratri and DasaraSimple guide · English · 2 pages

Detailed puja vidhi

The full home puja with the sixteen offerings. Instructions in English, every Sanskrit mantra printed in Devanagari, Kannada or Telugu script with a Roman transliteration.

Diwali

Devanagari · Kannada script · Telugu script

Makar Sankranti and Pongal

Devanagari · Kannada script · Telugu script

Ugadi

Devanagari · Kannada script · Telugu script

Varamahalakshmi Vratha

Devanagari · Kannada script · Telugu script

Ganesh Chaturthi

Devanagari · Kannada script · Telugu script

Navaratri and Dasara

Devanagari · Kannada script · Telugu script