Festival calendar
Festivals 1956 · Pune, Maharashtra, India
Each festival is dated for this town from the Moon's phase (the tithi) at the time of day its tradition uses: sunrise for most, and midday, afternoon, evening or midnight for some. That is why a date can differ by a day from one town to another.
January 1956
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 14 Jan 1956 Saturday |
Makar Sankranti / Pongal / Uttarayan the Sun enters Makara; the only major festival fixed to the solar year, which is why it barely moves in the Gregorian calendar while the lunar ones swing by a month Fixed by the Sun, not the Moon |
| 27 Jan 1956 Friday |
Pausha Purnima the Magha bathing month opens Pausha, shukla 15 · sunrise |
February 1956
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 16 Feb 1956 Thursday |
Vasant Panchami Saraswati, and the first of spring Magha, shukla 5 · sunrise |
March 1956
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 10 Mar 1956 Saturday |
Maha Shivaratri kept through the night, so the date follows nishita and not sunrise - Phalguna Krishna 14 in the purnimanta reckoning Magha, krishna 14 · nishita (midnight) |
| 26 Mar 1956 Monday |
Holika Dahan the bonfire is lit at pradosh, so the date follows the evening Phalguna, shukla 15 · pradosh (dusk) |
| 27 Mar 1956 Tuesday |
Holi / Dhulandi the colours - always the day after the bonfire, which is why it is dated from Holika Dahan rather than from its own tithi at sunrise. Chaitra Krishna 1 in the purnimanta reckoning Phalguna, krishna 1 · the day after Holika Dahan |
April 1956
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 03 Apr 1956 Tuesday |
Sheetala Ashtami (Basoda) worship of Sheetala Mata; food cooked the day before is eaten cold Phalguna, krishna 8 · sunrise |
| 12 Apr 1956 Thursday |
Ugadi / Gudi Padwa the lunar new year in the Deccan and Maharashtra Chaitra, shukla 1 · sunrise |
| 12 Apr 1956 Thursday |
Chaitra Navratri begins the first of the nine nights of the spring Navratri, with ghatasthapana in the morning Chaitra, shukla 1 · sunrise |
| 13 Apr 1956 Friday |
Gangaur women's festival of Gauri and Shiva, the close of eighteen days of worship after Holi Chaitra, shukla 3 · sunrise |
| 13 Apr 1956 Friday |
Mesha Sankranti / Baisakhi / Puthandu / Pohela Boishakh the Sun enters Mesha; the solar new year in Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Kerala and Assam Fixed by the Sun, not the Moon |
| 19 Apr 1956 Thursday |
Rama Navami Rama's birth Chaitra, shukla 9 · sunrise |
| 23 Apr 1956 Monday |
Mahavir Jayanti the birth of Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Jain Tirthankara Chaitra, shukla 13 · sunrise |
| 25 Apr 1956 Wednesday |
Hanuman Jayanti Hanuman's birth in most of north India Chaitra, shukla 15 · sunrise |
May 1956
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 12 May 1956 Saturday |
Parashurama Jayanti the birth of Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu, kept at dusk Vaisakha, shukla 3 · pradosh (dusk) |
| 13 May 1956 Sunday |
Akshaya Tritiya held to need no muhurta of its own - the day is the muhurta Vaisakha, shukla 3 · sunrise |
| 18 May 1956 Friday |
Sita Navami the birth of Sita, kept at midday Vaisakha, shukla 9 · madhyahna (midday) |
| 22 May 1956 Tuesday |
Narasimha Jayanti Vishnu's appearance as Narasimha, which the story places at sunset Vaisakha, shukla 14 · sunset |
| 24 May 1956 Thursday |
Buddha Purnima the Buddha's birth, waking and death Vaisakha, shukla 15 · sunrise |
June 1956
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 08 Jun 1956 Friday |
Shani Jayanti / Vat Savitri Vrat the birth of Shani; married women also fast and worship the banyan tree for their husbands Vaisakha, krishna 15 · sunrise The tithi began and ended between two sunrises this year, so it prevails at no sunrise at all. The observance goes on the day it began. |
| 17 Jun 1956 Sunday |
Ganga Dussehra the Ganga's descent Jyeshtha, shukla 10 · sunrise |
| 23 Jun 1956 Saturday |
Vat Purnima Vrat the banyan-tree fast for a husband's long life, kept on the full moon in the west and south Jyeshtha, shukla 15 · sunrise |
July 1956
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 09 Jul 1956 Monday |
Rath Yatra Jagannath's chariot procession Ashadha, shukla 2 · sunrise The tithi began and ended between two sunrises this year, so it prevails at no sunrise at all. The observance goes on the day it began. |
| 18 Jul 1956 Wednesday |
Devshayani Ekadashi Vishnu is held to sleep from here to Kartika; no marriages in between Ashadha, shukla 11 · sunrise |
| 22 Jul 1956 Sunday |
Guru Purnima honouring the teacher Ashadha, shukla 15 · sunrise |
August 1956
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 09 Aug 1956 Thursday |
Hariyali Teej the monsoon festival of Parvati's union with Shiva; swings, green clothes and fasting Shravana, shukla 3 · sunrise |
| 10 Aug 1956 Friday |
Nag Panchami the serpents Shravana, shukla 5 · sunrise |
| 21 Aug 1956 Tuesday |
Raksha Bandhan the thread between siblings Shravana, shukla 15 · sunrise |
| 24 Aug 1956 Friday |
Kajari Teej a fast by married women for their husbands, with songs of the rains Shravana, krishna 3 · sunrise |
| 29 Aug 1956 Wednesday |
Krishna Janmashtami Krishna's birth - Bhadrapada Krishna 8 in the amanta reckoning. Dated here by the ashtami prevailing at sunrise, which is the Vaishnava rule and the one most published panchangs follow. Smarta practice dates it by nishita instead, and in some years the two fall on different days - 2023 was one Shravana, krishna 8 · sunrise |
September 1956
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 07 Sep 1956 Friday |
Hartalika Teej a strict fast by women in honour of Parvati's penance for Shiva Bhadrapada, shukla 3 · sunrise |
| 08 Sep 1956 Saturday |
Ganesh Chaturthi Ganesha's installation, kept in madhyahna - the middle of the day Bhadrapada, shukla 4 · madhyahna (midday) |
| 09 Sep 1956 Sunday |
Rishi Panchami honour to the seven sages, kept at midday Bhadrapada, shukla 5 · madhyahna (midday) |
| 12 Sep 1956 Wednesday |
Radha Ashtami the birth of Radha, fifteen days after Janmashtami, kept at midday Bhadrapada, shukla 8 · madhyahna (midday) |
| 18 Sep 1956 Tuesday |
Anant Chaturdashi the immersion that closes Ganesh Chaturthi Bhadrapada, shukla 14 · sunrise |
| 20 Sep 1956 Thursday |
Pitru Paksha begins a fortnight for the ancestors, ending at the next new moon Bhadrapada, shukla 15 · sunrise |
October 1956
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 03 Oct 1956 Wednesday |
Mahalaya / Sarva Pitru Amavasya the last day of Pitru Paksha. Shraddha is an afternoon rite, so the date follows aparahna - Ashwina Krishna 15 in the purnimanta reckoning Bhadrapada, krishna 15 · aparahna (afternoon) |
| 05 Oct 1956 Friday |
Sharad Navaratri begins nine nights of the Goddess Ashwina, shukla 1 · sunrise |
| 12 Oct 1956 Friday |
Durga Ashtami the eighth night. Kept at sunrise, unlike the ninth and tenth, which are afternoon rites - so Ashtami and Navami land on the same day in some years and consecutive days in others Ashwina, shukla 8 · sunrise |
| 12 Oct 1956 Friday |
Maha Navami the ninth night Ashwina, shukla 9 · aparahna (afternoon) |
| 14 Oct 1956 Sunday |
Vijayadashami / Dussehra the tenth day, kept in aparahna - dating it from sunrise puts it a day late whenever the dashami begins late in the morning Ashwina, shukla 10 · aparahna (afternoon) |
| 19 Oct 1956 Friday |
Sharad Purnima the harvest moon Ashwina, shukla 15 · sunrise |
| 23 Oct 1956 Tuesday |
Karva Chauth the fast breaks at moonrise, so the date follows the evening - Kartika Krishna 4 in the purnimanta reckoning Ashwina, krishna 4 · pradosh (dusk) |
| 26 Oct 1956 Friday |
Ahoi Ashtami a mothers' fast for their children, broken on seeing the stars in the evening Ashwina, krishna 8 · pradosh (dusk) |
| 31 Oct 1956 Wednesday |
Dhanteras the first day of the Diwali sequence, kept at pradosh Ashwina, krishna 13 · pradosh (dusk) |
November 1956
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 01 Nov 1956 Thursday |
Naraka Chaturdashi / Choti Diwali the pre-dawn oil bath Ashwina, krishna 14 · sunrise |
| 02 Nov 1956 Friday |
Diwali / Lakshmi Puja the puja is at pradosh, so the date follows the evening and not sunrise - Kartika Krishna 15 in the purnimanta reckoning Ashwina, krishna 15 · pradosh (dusk) |
| 03 Nov 1956 Saturday |
Govardhan Puja / Bali Pratipada the day after Diwali Kartika, shukla 1 · sunrise |
| 04 Nov 1956 Sunday |
Bhai Dooj brothers and sisters Kartika, shukla 2 · sunrise |
| 08 Nov 1956 Thursday |
Chhath Puja (Sandhya Arghya) the offering to the setting Sun, so the date follows sunset Kartika, shukla 6 · pradosh (dusk) |
| 09 Nov 1956 Friday |
Chhath Puja (Usha Arghya) the offering to the rising Sun - always the morning after the evening arghya, so it is dated from that and not from its own tithi Kartika, shukla 7 · the day after Chhath Puja (Sandhya Arghya) |
| 14 Nov 1956 Wednesday |
Devuthani Ekadashi Vishnu wakes; the marriage season reopens Kartika, shukla 11 · sunrise |
| 15 Nov 1956 Thursday |
Tulsi Vivah the ceremonial marriage of the tulsi plant to Vishnu, which opens the wedding season Kartika, shukla 12 · sunrise |
| 18 Nov 1956 Sunday |
Kartika Purnima / Dev Diwali the lamps on the ghats Kartika, shukla 15 · sunrise |
| 24 Nov 1956 Saturday |
Kalabhairav Jayanti the appearance of Kala Bhairava, Shiva's fierce form, kept at midnight Kartika, krishna 8 · nishita (midnight) |
Fasting days (vrats) this year
Each list gives the date, and when the tithi begins and ends, so you can also follow your own family's rule.
- Ekadashi 1956 · 25 days
- Purnima 1956 · 12 days
- Amavasya 1956 · 13 days
- Pradosh 1956 · 25 days
- Sankashti Chaturthi 1956 · 12 days
- Vinayaka Chaturthi 1956 · 12 days
- Masik Shivaratri 1956 · 13 days
- Sankranti 1956 · 12 days
Dates and times are for Pune, Maharashtra, India. Another town can differ by a day when a tithi changes close to sunrise. You can change the place above.