Festival calendar
Festivals 2013 · Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, 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 2013
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 13 Jan 2013 Sunday |
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 2013 Sunday |
Pausha Purnima the Magha bathing month opens Pausha, shukla 15 · sunrise |
February 2013
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 15 Feb 2013 Friday |
Vasant Panchami Saraswati, and the first of spring Magha, shukla 5 · sunrise |
March 2013
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 10 Mar 2013 Sunday |
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 2013 Tuesday |
Holika Dahan the bonfire is lit at pradosh, so the date follows the evening Phalguna, shukla 15 · pradosh (dusk) |
| 27 Mar 2013 Wednesday |
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, shukla 15 · the day after Holika Dahan |
April 2013
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 03 Apr 2013 Wednesday |
Sheetala Ashtami (Basoda) worship of Sheetala Mata; food cooked the day before is eaten cold Phalguna, krishna 8 · sunrise |
| 11 Apr 2013 Thursday |
Ugadi / Gudi Padwa the lunar new year in the Deccan and Maharashtra Chaitra, shukla 1 · sunrise |
| 11 Apr 2013 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 2013 Saturday |
Gangaur women's festival of Gauri and Shiva, the close of eighteen days of worship after Holi Chaitra, shukla 3 · sunrise |
| 13 Apr 2013 Saturday |
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 |
| 20 Apr 2013 Saturday |
Rama Navami Rama's birth Chaitra, shukla 9 · sunrise |
| 24 Apr 2013 Wednesday |
Mahavir Jayanti the birth of Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Jain Tirthankara Chaitra, shukla 13 · sunrise |
| 25 Apr 2013 Thursday |
Hanuman Jayanti Hanuman's birth in most of north India Chaitra, shukla 15 · sunrise |
May 2013
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 12 May 2013 Sunday |
Parashurama Jayanti the birth of Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu, kept at dusk Vaisakha, shukla 3 · pradosh (dusk) |
| 13 May 2013 Monday |
Akshaya Tritiya held to need no muhurta of its own - the day is the muhurta Vaisakha, shukla 3 · sunrise |
| 19 May 2013 Sunday |
Sita Navami the birth of Sita, kept at midday Vaisakha, shukla 9 · madhyahna (midday) |
| 23 May 2013 Thursday |
Narasimha Jayanti Vishnu's appearance as Narasimha, which the story places at sunset Vaisakha, shukla 14 · sunset |
| 25 May 2013 Saturday |
Buddha Purnima the Buddha's birth, waking and death Vaisakha, shukla 15 · sunrise |
June 2013
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 08 Jun 2013 Saturday |
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 |
| 19 Jun 2013 Wednesday |
Ganga Dussehra the Ganga's descent Jyeshtha, shukla 10 · sunrise |
| 23 Jun 2013 Sunday |
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 2013
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 10 Jul 2013 Wednesday |
Rath Yatra Jagannath's chariot procession Ashadha, shukla 2 · sunrise |
| 19 Jul 2013 Friday |
Devshayani Ekadashi Vishnu is held to sleep from here to Kartika; no marriages in between Ashadha, shukla 11 · sunrise |
| 22 Jul 2013 Monday |
Guru Purnima honouring the teacher Ashadha, shukla 15 · sunrise |
August 2013
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 09 Aug 2013 Friday |
Hariyali Teej the monsoon festival of Parvati's union with Shiva; swings, green clothes and fasting Shravana, shukla 3 · sunrise |
| 12 Aug 2013 Monday |
Nag Panchami the serpents Shravana, shukla 5 · sunrise |
| 21 Aug 2013 Wednesday |
Raksha Bandhan the thread between siblings Shravana, shukla 15 · sunrise |
| 23 Aug 2013 Friday |
Kajari Teej a fast by married women for their husbands, with songs of the rains Shravana, krishna 3 · sunrise |
| 28 Aug 2013 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 2013
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 08 Sep 2013 Sunday |
Hartalika Teej a strict fast by women in honour of Parvati's penance for Shiva Bhadrapada, shukla 3 · sunrise |
| 09 Sep 2013 Monday |
Ganesh Chaturthi Ganesha's installation, kept in madhyahna - the middle of the day Bhadrapada, shukla 4 · madhyahna (midday) |
| 10 Sep 2013 Tuesday |
Rishi Panchami honour to the seven sages, kept at midday Bhadrapada, shukla 5 · madhyahna (midday) |
| 12 Sep 2013 Thursday |
Radha Ashtami the birth of Radha, fifteen days after Janmashtami, kept at midday Bhadrapada, shukla 8 · madhyahna (midday) |
| 18 Sep 2013 Wednesday |
Anant Chaturdashi the immersion that closes Ganesh Chaturthi Bhadrapada, shukla 14 · sunrise |
| 19 Sep 2013 Thursday |
Pitru Paksha begins a fortnight for the ancestors, ending at the next new moon Bhadrapada, shukla 15 · sunrise |
October 2013
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 04 Oct 2013 Friday |
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 2013 Saturday |
Sharad Navaratri begins nine nights of the Goddess Ashwina, shukla 1 · sunrise |
| 12 Oct 2013 Saturday |
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 |
| 13 Oct 2013 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) |
| 13 Oct 2013 Sunday |
Maha Navami the ninth night Ashwina, shukla 9 · aparahna (afternoon) |
| 18 Oct 2013 Friday |
Sharad Purnima the harvest moon Ashwina, shukla 15 · sunrise |
| 22 Oct 2013 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 2013 Saturday |
Ahoi Ashtami a mothers' fast for their children, broken on seeing the stars in the evening Ashwina, krishna 8 · pradosh (dusk) |
November 2013
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 01 Nov 2013 Friday |
Dhanteras the first day of the Diwali sequence, kept at pradosh Ashwina, krishna 13 · pradosh (dusk) |
| 02 Nov 2013 Saturday |
Naraka Chaturdashi / Choti Diwali the pre-dawn oil bath Ashwina, krishna 14 · sunrise |
| 03 Nov 2013 Sunday |
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) |
| 04 Nov 2013 Monday |
Govardhan Puja / Bali Pratipada the day after Diwali Kartika, shukla 1 · sunrise |
| 05 Nov 2013 Tuesday |
Bhai Dooj brothers and sisters Kartika, shukla 2 · sunrise |
| 08 Nov 2013 Friday |
Chhath Puja (Sandhya Arghya) the offering to the setting Sun, so the date follows sunset Kartika, shukla 6 · pradosh (dusk) |
| 09 Nov 2013 Saturday |
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) |
| 13 Nov 2013 Wednesday |
Devuthani Ekadashi Vishnu wakes; the marriage season reopens Kartika, shukla 11 · sunrise |
| 14 Nov 2013 Thursday |
Tulsi Vivah the ceremonial marriage of the tulsi plant to Vishnu, which opens the wedding season Kartika, shukla 12 · sunrise |
| 17 Nov 2013 Sunday |
Kartika Purnima / Dev Diwali the lamps on the ghats Kartika, shukla 15 · sunrise |
| 25 Nov 2013 Monday |
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 2013 · 25 days
- Purnima 2013 · 12 days
- Amavasya 2013 · 12 days
- Pradosh 2013 · 24 days
- Sankashti Chaturthi 2013 · 13 days
- Vinayaka Chaturthi 2013 · 12 days
- Masik Shivaratri 2013 · 13 days
- Sankranti 2013 · 12 days
Dates and times are for Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India. Another town can differ by a day when a tithi changes close to sunrise. You can change the place above.