Hindu Festival Calendar

How Hindu festival dates work

Almost every Hindu festival is fixed to the lunar calendar, not the Gregorian one. A festival falls on a particular tithi in a particular lunar month and paksha — Janmashtami on Bhadrapada Krishna Ashtami, Maha Shivratri on Phalguna Krishna Chaturdashi, Diwali on Kartik Amavasya. Because a lunar month is about 29.5 days and the lunar year is shorter than the solar year, these festivals land on a different Gregorian date each year, usually drifting within a two- to four-week window, and periodically corrected by an extra month (adhik maas).

A few festivals are solar instead — Makar Sankranti tracks the Sun entering Capricorn and so stays near 14 January every year. And because a tithi can begin or end at any hour, the observed date can differ by a day between regions depending on whether the tithi prevails at sunrise, at moonrise, or at the time of a specific rite. For that reason we give each festival's lunar rule and usual month rather than a single computed date, and we ask you to confirm the exact day and muhurat with your local panchang.

Tap any festival for its story, significance, rituals, regional variations and the foods associated with it. See also the 24 Ekadashi vrats and the month calendar.

The Hindu festival year, season by season

Spring (Vasant), January–April. The cycle opens with the solar Makar Sankranti in mid-January, then Vasant Panchami for Saraswati and the coming of spring. Maha Shivratri and the colours of Holi on the Phalguna full moon follow, and Chaitra Navratri with Ram Navami brings the lunar new year, closing with Hanuman Jayanti on Chaitra Purnima.

Summer (Grishma), April–June. A quieter stretch whose highlight is Akshaya Tritiya, one of the year's most auspicious days for new ventures and buying gold.

Monsoon (Shravan), July–August. Guru Purnima opens the rains; the sacred month of Shravana brings Nag Panchami, the brother–sister bond of Raksha Bandhan on Shravana Purnima, and the Sawan Mondays devoted to Shiva.

Late monsoon (Bhadrapada), August–September. The midnight birth of Krishna at Janmashtami, followed by the ten-day Ganesh Chaturthi ending in Anant Chaturdashi visarjan.

Autumn (Sharad), September–November — the festival peak. Sharad Navratri and Dussehra lead into the five days of Diwali — Dhanteras, Diwali (Lakshmi Puja on Kartik Amavasya), Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj — with Karva Chauth just before and Chhath Puja just after, the season closing at Kartik Purnima and Dev Deepawali.

Winter (Hemant–Shishir), December–January. The Margashirsha and Pausha months are calmer, marked by Gita Jayanti on Mokshada Ekadashi and the vrats of the season, before the wheel turns back to Makar Sankranti.

Types of Hindu festival

Solar & harvest. A small group tied to the Sun's movement rather than the moon, so nearly date-fixed — Makar Sankranti, celebrated regionally as Pongal, Lohri and Bihu.

Devi (Shakta). The Goddess's festivals — Chaitra and Sharad Navratri and Dussehra — nine nights of Durga and her victory over Mahishasura.

Vaishnava. Devoted to Vishnu and his avatars — Ram Navami, Janmashtami, the twenty-four Ekadashi vrats and Diwali.

Shaiva. Devoted to Shiva — Maha Shivratri and the Sawan Mondays, kept with fasting and night vigil.

Family & vrat. Festivals of bonds and fasting — Raksha Bandhan, Bhai Dooj and Karva Chauth.

Muhurat days. Days considered auspicious for buying and beginnings — Akshaya Tritiya and Dhanteras; see also the gold-buying days.