Hindu Festivals in December 2026: Full List of Dates, Ekadashi and Vrats

December 2026 is almost entirely the Hindu month of Margashirsha, a month the Bhagavad Gita singles out when Krishna says, “among months I am Margashirsha” (Gita 10.35). It opens with Kaal Bhairav Jayanti on 1 December, includes two Ekadashis (Utpanna on 4 December and Mokshada on 20 December, which is also Gita Jayanti), the Rama–Sita wedding festival of Vivah Panchami on 14 December, and closes the lunar month with Dattatreya Jayanti on Margashirsha Purnima, 23 December.

All dates below follow the panchang for New Delhi, India. Tithis begin and end at different clock times in different cities, so a vrat or puja that depends on an exact tithi can shift by a day outside India. Check a location-aware panchang for your city.

December 2026 Hindu festival calendar at a glance

Date	Day	Festival or vrat	Tithi / basis
1 December	Tuesday	Kaal Bhairav Jayanti, Kalashtami	Margashirsha Krishna Ashtami
4 December	Friday	Utpanna Ekadashi	Margashirsha Krishna Ekadashi
6 December	Sunday	Ravi Pradosh Vrat	Krishna Trayodashi
7 December	Monday	Masik Shivaratri	Krishna Chaturdashi
8 December	Tuesday	Margashirsha Amavasya	Amavasya (new moon)
14 December	Monday	Vivah Panchami	Margashirsha Shukla Panchami
15 December	Tuesday	Skanda Sashti, Subrahmanya Sashti, Champa Shashthi	Shukla Shashthi
16 December	Wednesday	Dhanu Sankranti; Kharmas begins	Sun enters Dhanu
17 December	Thursday	Masik Durgashtami	Shukla Ashtami
20 December	Sunday	Gita Jayanti, Mokshada Ekadashi, Vaikuntha Ekadashi	Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi
21 December	Monday	Soma Pradosh Vrat	Shukla Trayodashi
22 December	Tuesday	Hanuman Jayanti (Karnataka tradition)	Shukla Trayodashi
23 December	Wednesday	Dattatreya Jayanti, Annapurna Jayanti, Margashirsha Purnima	Purnima (full moon)
24 December	Thursday	Pausha month begins (Purnimanta); Arudra Darshan (Tamil calendar)	Pausha Krishna Pratipada
26 December	Saturday	Akhuratha Sankashti Chaturthi	Pausha Krishna Chaturthi
30 December	Wednesday	Kalashtami	Pausha Krishna Ashtami

The major observances, one by one

Kaal Bhairav Jayanti: Tuesday, 1 December

Kaal Bhairav Jayanti (also called Bhairav Ashtami) marks the appearance of Bhairava, the fierce form of Shiva who is honoured as the guardian of Kashi. In New Delhi the Ashtami tithi runs through almost the whole of 1 December, ending at about 11:13 pm. Devotees visit Bhairava temples, recite the Kalabhairava Ashtakam, keep a night vigil and feed dogs, Bhairava’s vehicle. Read the story, symbols and worship in our Kaal Bhairav guide, or in Hindi on the काल भैरव page.

Utpanna Ekadashi: Friday, 4 December

Utpanna Ekadashi remembers the day the goddess Ekadashi is said to have appeared from Vishnu to defeat the demon Mura, which is why many people begin a year of Ekadashi fasts on this day. Ekadashi tithi runs from about 11:03 pm on 3 December to 11:44 pm on 4 December, and parana is on 5 December, about 6:59 am to 9:04 am (New Delhi). The full story and fasting rules are in our Utpanna Ekadashi 2026 guide and the Hindi उत्पन्ना एकादशी व्रत कथा.

Vivah Panchami: Monday, 14 December

Vivah Panchami celebrates the wedding of Rama and Sita on Margashirsha Shukla Panchami. It is celebrated with special grandeur in Janakpur, Sita’s home in present-day Nepal, and in Ayodhya, with wedding processions and readings of the wedding episode of the Ramayana. Panchami tithi lasts from about 4:47 pm on 13 December to 7:15 pm on 14 December. See the Vivah Panchami 2026 guide.

Skanda Sashti and Champa Shashthi: Tuesday, 15 December

The Shukla Shashthi of Margashirsha is sacred to Kartikeya (Murugan, Subrahmanya) across South India, and in Maharashtra and Karnataka it is Champa Shashthi, the festival of Khandoba. Learn about the deity in our Murugan and Kartikeya guide and with the Kartikeya mantra.

Dhanu Sankranti and the start of Kharmas: Wednesday, 16 December

The Sun moves from Vrishchika into Dhanu (Sagittarius) on 16 December. In North India this opens Kharmas, a month in which weddings, griha pravesh and similar new beginnings are traditionally postponed until Makar Sankranti in mid-January. In South India the same solar month is Dhanurmasa (Margazhi in Tamil Nadu), a season of early-morning worship of Vishnu.

Gita Jayanti, Mokshada Ekadashi and Vaikuntha Ekadashi: Sunday, 20 December

The Shukla Ekadashi of Margashirsha is kept as Gita Jayanti, the day remembered as the one on which Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna, and as Mokshada Ekadashi. In 2026 the South Indian Vaikuntha Ekadashi, which is fixed by the solar month, falls on the same day. Ekadashi tithi runs from about 10:09 pm on 19 December to 8:14 pm on 20 December, and parana is on 21 December, about 7:10 am to 9:13 am (New Delhi). Plan a realistic reading with our Gita Jayanti 2026 study guide, start with Bhagavad Gita 2.47, or read the Hindi मोक्षदा एकादशी व्रत कथा.

Dattatreya Jayanti and Annapurna Jayanti: Wednesday, 23 December

Margashirsha Purnima is the birth anniversary of Dattatreya, the teacher revered as the combined form of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and in many homes it is also Annapurna Jayanti, honouring Annapurna Devi, the goddess of nourishment. The Hindi page दत्तात्रेय जयंती 2026 has the puja details.

Monthly vrats in December 2026

• Pradosh Vrat: Sunday, 6 December (Ravi Pradosh) and Monday, 21 December (Soma Pradosh), kept for Shiva at twilight. Use the powerful Shiva mantras or Om Namah Shivaya.
• Masik Shivaratri: Monday, 7 December.
• Amavasya: Tuesday, 8 December, a traditional day for remembering ancestors.
• Masik Durgashtami: Thursday, 17 December.
• Purnima: Wednesday, 23 December, often marked with Satyanarayan puja.
• Sankashti Chaturthi: Saturday, 26 December, for Ganesha, with the fast broken after moonrise.
• Kalashtami: Tuesday, 1 December and Wednesday, 30 December.

Planning tips for the month

1. Pick what your family actually keeps. Few households observe every date in this list. Mark the two or three that matter to you and prepare a few days ahead.
2. Check parana times locally. Ekadashi fasts are broken within a specific window on Dwadashi. The times above are for New Delhi.
3. Note Kharmas if you are planning a ceremony. If a wedding, housewarming or mundan is on your calendar, many families prefer dates before 16 December or after Makar Sankranti.
4. Use Gita Jayanti to begin a habit. A daily Gita reading plan started on 20 December is a lasting way to mark the day.

For the rest of the year, see the Hindu festival calendar 2026, and to plan ahead, the Hindu festival calendar 2027 and Ekadashi 2027 list.

Dates were checked against Drik Panchang’s December 2026 festival list for New Delhi and cross-checked with other published 2026 panchangs.