The list of all major Indian festivals and Hindu vrats with calculation-based Panchang dates. Open Astro Zerolink Vedic Panchang with your place for your city’s date.
Hindu festival calendar — vrat and parv dates with panchang
The Hindu Festival Calendar lists the vrat and parv dates for the year with the panchang detail behind each one: the tithi that defines the observance, the lunar month it falls in, the paksha, and the timings that decide when the fast begins and ends. It is a calendar built from calculation rather than copied from a list.
Read full guide & FAQ
Indian festival dates move against the Gregorian calendar because they follow a lunisolar system. Most festivals are fixed to a tithi in a named lunar month — Kartik shukla amavasya for Diwali, Shravan purnima for Raksha Bandhan — and since a lunar year runs about eleven days short of a solar one, the Gregorian date shifts every year.
Regional differences are real and this page says so instead of flattening them. Amanta and purnimanta month conventions, sunrise-based day reckoning, and local community practice can move a festival by a day. Where that happens the calendar notes it. This is cultural and devotional information, not medical, legal, or financial advice.
Why festival dates change every year
The Hindu calendar is lunisolar. Months are measured by the Moon, from one new moon to the next or one full moon to the next depending on the regional convention, while the year is kept aligned with the seasons by the Sun. A lunar year is roughly three hundred and fifty-four days, eleven short of a solar year.
To stop the months drifting away from the seasons, an extra month called adhik maas is inserted roughly every three years. In an adhik maas year, festivals in the affected months shift substantially, which is why some years feel as though Diwali or Holi has arrived unusually late.
Because festivals are fixed to a tithi rather than to a solar date, the Gregorian date moves each year within a fairly predictable window. Knowing the tithi and month — rather than memorising last year’s date — is the reliable way to anticipate when a festival will fall.
Tithi, paksha, and how a vrat day is decided
A tithi is the lunar day, defined by the angular distance between the Sun and the Moon increasing by twelve degrees. Because that angle changes at an uneven rate, a tithi can be shorter or longer than a solar day, and it rarely begins at sunrise.
This is why a festival can appear on two different dates in two different calendars. Most traditions apply the rule that the tithi prevailing at sunrise governs the day, but some observances use the tithi at a specific time — midday, moonrise, or pradosh kaal — which can move the date by one day.
The month runs in two pakshas: shukla, the bright fortnight from new moon to full moon, and krishna, the dark fortnight after it. Ekadashi occurs in both, pradosh occurs twice a month, and purnima and amavasya anchor the whole cycle.
How the calendar is calculated (Lahiri ayanamsa)
Solar and lunar longitudes are computed for each date and converted to sidereal values using the Lahiri ayanamsa, the standard reference for Indian panchang. Tithi boundaries, nakshatra changes, yoga and karana, sunrise and sunset, and the derived timings all follow from those calculated positions.
Location matters more than people expect. Sunrise in Guwahati and sunrise in Ahmedabad differ by more than an hour, and because tithi governance is decided at sunrise, a festival can genuinely fall on different days in the east and the west of the country.
Where the amanta and purnimanta conventions produce different month names for the same period, the calendar states which convention it is using. It does not silently pick one and present it as universal, because that is exactly how families end up disagreeing about a date.
Worked example: locating one festival
Take Maha Shivaratri, which falls on the chaturdashi tithi of the krishna paksha in the month of Phalguna under the purnimanta convention, or Magha under the amanta one. The same night, two month names, depending on which regional system you follow.
The observance is tied to nishita kaal, the middle portion of the night, rather than to sunrise. So the governing question is not which day holds the chaturdashi at dawn, but which night holds it at midnight — a rule that occasionally places the festival a day earlier than a simple sunrise reckoning would.
The calendar therefore shows the tithi start and end times, the nishita kaal window for your location, and the parana or fast-breaking time the next morning. Those three facts let you plan the observance properly instead of relying on a remembered date.
Honest limits and how to use the calendar
A computed calendar is a reference, not an authority over your family tradition. If your local temple, your community panchang, or your family practice observes a festival on a different day, follow them. Regional variation in Indian festival observance is genuine and ancient, and no calculation overrules it.
Please do not fast if it is unsafe for you. Pregnancy, diabetes, low body weight, medication that must be taken with food, and recovery from illness are all reasons to skip a vrat, and traditional practice fully accepts donation or extra mantra japa as a substitute. This is not medical advice; if in doubt, ask a doctor.
Use the calendar for planning: booking travel, arranging a puja, or knowing when a market holiday falls. For the daily panchang detail, open the Panchang tool. For choosing a date for a specific event, Muhurat Finder is the right page rather than a festival list.
Trusted Tools
See vrat and parv dates with the tithi, paksha, and lunar month behind each one.
Understand why festival dates shift each year and what adhik maas does to them.
Get sunrise-dependent timings computed for your own location rather than one default city.
See amanta and purnimanta conventions stated openly instead of silently chosen.
Work from Lahiri sidereal calculations consistent with standard Indian panchang.
Because the calendar is lunisolar. Festivals are fixed to a tithi in a lunar month, and a lunar year runs about eleven days shorter than a solar one.
What is a tithi?
A tithi is a lunar day, completed each time the angular distance between the Sun and Moon increases by twelve degrees. It rarely starts at sunrise and varies in length.
What is adhik maas?
An extra lunar month inserted roughly every three years to keep the calendar aligned with the seasons. It shifts festival dates significantly in the affected year.
Why does my local calendar show a different date?
Sunrise timings, amanta versus purnimanta month conventions, and community practice all vary by region. Where that happens, follow your local authority.
What is the difference between shukla and krishna paksha?
Shukla is the bright fortnight from new moon to full moon; krishna is the dark fortnight from full moon to new moon. Each contains fifteen tithis.
Which ayanamsa is used?
Lahiri, the standard for Indian panchang, so tithi boundaries and festival dates here agree with a conventional almanac.
Does my location change the dates?
It can. Sunrise differs by over an hour across India, and because tithi governance is decided at sunrise, a festival can fall on different days east and west.
Is fasting required?
No. Traditional practice accepts donation or extra mantra japa as a substitute, and fasting is not advised if you are pregnant, diabetic, or unwell.
What is parana time?
It is the window for breaking a fast, usually the following morning within stated limits. The calendar shows it alongside the observance timings.
Where do I go to choose a date for an event?
Muhurat Finder. A festival calendar tells you when observances fall; a muhurat tool selects a suitable time for a specific activity.
AI Guru Ji Live Chat
AI chat settings
Voice output, speed, and playback preferences are controlled here.
Ask your question. Add birth details for personalised chart guidance.
Welcome to Astro Zerolink. Please choose Hindi or English first, then ask your question and I will continue in that language.
Live voice chat
Speak naturally. AI Guru listens, thinks, and replies with voice.
