Hindu Festivals and Panchang 2026–2027
Verified dates for Diwali, Holi, Dussehra, Raksha Bandhan, Ganesh Chaturthi and more, plus a short guide to reading the panchang. Dates follow official Government of India lists.
Updated · by ViralScopeHub Team
Today’s panchang snapshot
Monday, October 26, 2026
Computed from real Sun and Moon positions (Lahiri sidereal) at about midday in India. A printed panchang usually names the tithi at local sunrise, so it can differ by a few hours of tithi. For festival dates use the table below.
Hindu festival dates 2026 and 2027
Dates are for Delhi and follow the government list. Gazetted holidays are public holidays; restricted holidays are optional occasions. Past dates are dimmed.
2026
| Date | Festival | About |
|---|---|---|
| Makar Sankranti / Magha Bihu / Pongal | Restricted holiday Sun enters Capricorn; harvest festival known as Pongal, Magha Bihu or Uttarayan in different regions. Countdown | |
| Vasant (Basant) Panchami / Sri Panchami | Restricted holiday Welcomes spring and honours Saraswati, goddess of learning. | |
| Maha Shivaratri | Restricted holiday The "great night of Shiva", marked with fasting and night-long prayer. | |
| Holika Dahan / Dol Yatra | Restricted holiday Bonfire on the eve of Holi. Dol Yatra is the Bengal and Odisha spring festival. | |
| Holi | Gazetted holiday Festival of colours, the morning after Holika Dahan. Countdown | |
| Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Sukladi / Cheti Chand | Restricted holiday New year in much of South and Western India (Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Cheti Chand). Chaitra Navratri begins. | |
| Ram Navami | Gazetted holiday Birth of Lord Rama, on the ninth day of Chaitra. | |
| Mahavir Jayanti | Gazetted holiday Birth of Mahavira, the 24th Jain Tirthankara. | |
| Vaisakhi / Vishu / Meshadi (Tamil New Year) | Restricted holiday Solar new year in Punjab, Tamil Nadu (Puthandu) and Kerala (Vishu). | |
| Vaisakhadi (Bengal) / Bahag Bihu (Assam) | Restricted holiday Bengali new year (Poila Boishakh) and Assamese Bohag Bihu. | |
| Buddha Purnima | Gazetted holiday Birth and enlightenment of the Buddha; a Buddhist festival listed with Hindu festivals by the government. | |
| Rath Yatra | Restricted holiday Chariot festival of Lord Jagannath at Puri. | |
| Onam (Thiru Onam) | Restricted holiday Kerala’s harvest festival with flower carpets (pookalam) and a feast (sadya). Countdown | |
| Raksha Bandhan | Restricted holiday Siblings’ festival; sisters tie a rakhi on their brothers’ wrists. Countdown | |
| Janmashtami (Vaishnava) | Gazetted holiday Birth of Lord Krishna, observed at midnight. | |
| Ganesh Chaturthi / Vinayak Chaturthi | Restricted holiday Birthday of Lord Ganesha; clay idols are installed for several days. Countdown | |
| Dussehra: Saptami | Restricted holiday Durga Puja / Navratri day 7. | |
| Dussehra: Maha Ashtami | Restricted holiday Durga Puja / Navratri day 8 (Maha Ashtami). | |
| Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami) | Gazetted holiday Vijaya Dashami: victory of good over evil, with Ravana effigies burned in many towns. Countdown | |
| Dussehra: Maha Navami | Restricted holiday Durga Puja / Navratri day 9 (Maha Navami). | |
| Karwa Chauth (Karaka Chaturthi) | Restricted holiday Fast observed by many married women for their spouses, broken after moonrise. | |
| Diwali (Deepavali) | Gazetted holiday Festival of lights; Lakshmi puja on the new-moon evening. Countdown | |
| Naraka Chaturdashi | Restricted holiday Day before the main Diwali night in many regions (also called Chhoti Diwali). | |
| Govardhan Puja | Restricted holiday Day after Diwali; Annakut offerings in the north and west. | |
| Bhai Dooj | Restricted holiday Siblings’ festival two days after Diwali. | |
| Chhath Puja (Pratihar Shashthi / Surya Shashthi) | Restricted holiday Sun-worship festival of Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Nepal. |
2027
| Date | Festival | About |
|---|---|---|
| Makar Sankranti / Magha Bihu | Restricted holiday Sun enters Capricorn; harvest festival known as Pongal, Magha Bihu or Uttarayan in different regions. Countdown | |
| Pongal / Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday | Restricted holiday Prakash Purab of the tenth Sikh Guru; also see the Sikh calendar. | |
| Vasant (Basant) Panchami / Sri Panchami | Restricted holiday Welcomes spring and honours Saraswati, goddess of learning. | |
| Shivaji Jayanti | Restricted holiday Birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, observed mainly in Maharashtra. | |
| Maha Shivaratri | Restricted holiday The "great night of Shiva", marked with fasting and night-long prayer. | |
| Holika Dahan / Dol Yatra | Restricted holiday Government list date. Drik Panchang gives the Holika Dahan pradosh muhurat on the evening of Sunday, March 21 (Purnima tithi 6:21 pm Mar 21 to 4:13 pm Mar 22, Delhi). | |
| Holi | Gazetted holiday Festival of colours, the morning after Holika Dahan. Popular panchangs (Drik) show Rangwali Holi on Monday, March 22 with Holika Dahan on the evening of March 21; the Government of India holiday is March 23. Countdown | |
| Ugadi / Gudi Padwa / Chaitra Sukladi / Cheti Chand / first Navratra | Restricted holiday New year in much of South and Western India (Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Cheti Chand). Chaitra Navratri begins. | |
| Vaisakhi / Vishu / Meshadi (Tamil New Year) | Restricted holiday Solar new year in Punjab, Tamil Nadu (Puthandu) and Kerala (Vishu). | |
| Ram Navami | Gazetted holiday Birth of Lord Rama, on the ninth day of Chaitra. | |
| Vaisakhadi (Bengal) / Bahag Bihu (Assam) | Restricted holiday Bengali new year (Poila Boishakh) and Assamese Bohag Bihu. | |
| Mahavir Jayanti | Gazetted holiday Birth of Mahavira, the 24th Jain Tirthankara. | |
| Buddha Purnima | Gazetted holiday Birth and enlightenment of the Buddha; a Buddhist festival listed with Hindu festivals by the government. | |
| Rath Yatra | Restricted holiday Chariot festival of Lord Jagannath at Puri. | |
| Raksha Bandhan | Restricted holiday Siblings’ festival; sisters tie a rakhi on their brothers’ wrists. Countdown | |
| Janmashtami (Vaishnava) | Gazetted holiday Birth of Lord Krishna, observed at midnight. | |
| Ganesh Chaturthi / Vinayak Chaturthi | Restricted holiday Birthday of Lord Ganesha; clay idols are installed for several days. Countdown | |
| Onam (Thiru Onam) | Restricted holiday Kerala’s harvest festival with flower carpets (pookalam) and a feast (sadya). Countdown | |
| Dussehra: Saptami | Restricted holiday Durga Puja / Navratri day 7. | |
| Dussehra: Maha Ashtami | Restricted holiday Durga Puja / Navratri day 8 (Maha Ashtami). | |
| Dussehra: Maha Navami | Restricted holiday Durga Puja / Navratri day 9 (Maha Navami). | |
| Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami) | Gazetted holiday Vijaya Dashami: victory of good over evil, with Ravana effigies burned in many towns. Countdown | |
| Karwa Chauth (Karaka Chaturthi) | Restricted holiday Fast observed by many married women for their spouses, broken after moonrise. | |
| Naraka Chaturdashi | Restricted holiday Day before the main Diwali night in many regions (also called Chhoti Diwali). | |
| Diwali (Deepavali) | Gazetted holiday Festival of lights; Lakshmi puja on the new-moon evening. Countdown | |
| Govardhan Puja | Restricted holiday Day after Diwali; Annakut offerings in the north and west. | |
| Bhai Dooj | Restricted holiday Siblings’ festival two days after Diwali. | |
| Chhath Puja (Pratihar Shashthi / Surya Shashthi) | Restricted holiday Sun-worship festival of Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Nepal. |
How Hindu festival dates are decided
Hindu festivals follow a lunisolar calendar. Months are counted by the Moon, but the year is kept in step with the Sun by adding an extra (adhik) month from time to time. That is why Diwali can fall anywhere between mid-October and mid-November on the Gregorian calendar.
Most festivals are tied to a tithi, a lunar day that is one-thirtieth of the Moon’s cycle. A tithi does not match a civil day: it can begin at any hour and last between about 19 and 26 hours. So a rule is needed to pick the civil date. Many festivals use the tithi that is present at sunrise; night festivals such as Diwali Lakshmi puja, Holika Dahan and Maha Shivaratri use the tithi present in the evening or at midnight. When the tithi spans two days, the answer depends on the rule, which is why two reliable calendars can disagree by a day.
Regions add another layer. North India usually counts a month from full moon to full moon (purnimanta), while Gujarat, Maharashtra and South India count from new moon to new moon (amanta). The festival is the same, only the month name differs for the first half of the month. Solar festivals such as Makar Sankranti and Vaisakhi follow the Sun’s entry into a sign and are far more stable year to year.
Panchang in plain words
The word panchang means “five limbs”. Each day a panchang lists:
- Tithi: the lunar day, from 1 to 15 in each half of the month (shukla paksha is the waxing half, krishna paksha the waning half).
- Vara: the weekday.
- Nakshatra: the lunar mansion, one of 27, that the Moon is passing through.
- Yoga: one of 27 combinations of the Sun’s and Moon’s positions.
- Karana: half of a tithi.
For a personal chart, try the free kundli maker. For daily Moon-based readings see the daily horoscope. Both are for entertainment only.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the date of Diwali different every year?
Diwali falls on the new-moon (amavasya) evening of the month of Kartika, and the new moon moves through the Gregorian calendar by about 11 days a year, with a leap month added now and then. Diwali is on Sunday, November 8, 2026 and Friday, October 29, 2027.
When is Holi in 2027?
The Government of India holiday list gives Tuesday, March 23, 2027 for Holi (Holika Dahan listed on March 22). Popular panchangs such as Drik Panchang put Holika Dahan on the evening of Sunday, March 21 and Rangwali Holi on Monday, March 22, because the Purnima tithi runs from 6:21 pm on March 21 to 4:13 pm on March 22 in Delhi. Both are published sources, so check your local temple or panchang.
Why does my local temple or calendar show a different date?
When a tithi covers two civil days, regional customs and the sunrise or evening rule decide which day is observed. The government list gives one date for Delhi. Follow your local temple or community panchang for religious observance.
What is the difference between gazetted and restricted holidays?
Gazetted holidays are days when central government offices are closed. Restricted holidays are optional: each employee may take two. Many festivals people celebrate widely are restricted holidays, so offices may be open.
Is there a free API for Hindu festival dates?
We could not find a free, openly licensed one that is accurate for all regions, so this page uses official government dates that we verified by hand and against moon phases.
Sources and attribution
- Government of India, DoPT: Holiday lists from Government of India DoPT Office Memoranda F.No.12/2/2023-JCA