Festival calendar
Festivals 2020 · Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 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.
This year has an extra lunar month: Adhika Ashwina (extra month). Most festivals of that month are kept in the regular month that follows it.
January 2020
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 10 Jan 2020 Friday |
Pausha Purnima the Magha bathing month opens Pausha, shukla 15 · sunrise |
| 14 Jan 2020 Tuesday |
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 |
| 30 Jan 2020 Thursday |
Vasant Panchami Saraswati, and the first of spring Magha, shukla 5 · sunrise |
February 2020
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 21 Feb 2020 Friday |
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) |
March 2020
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 09 Mar 2020 Monday |
Holika Dahan the bonfire is lit at pradosh, so the date follows the evening Phalguna, shukla 15 · pradosh (dusk) |
| 10 Mar 2020 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 |
| 16 Mar 2020 Monday |
Sheetala Ashtami (Basoda) worship of Sheetala Mata; food cooked the day before is eaten cold Phalguna, krishna 8 · sunrise |
| 25 Mar 2020 Wednesday |
Ugadi / Gudi Padwa the lunar new year in the Deccan and Maharashtra Chaitra, shukla 1 · sunrise |
| 25 Mar 2020 Wednesday |
Chaitra Navratri begins the first of the nine nights of the spring Navratri, with ghatasthapana in the morning Chaitra, shukla 1 · sunrise |
| 27 Mar 2020 Friday |
Gangaur women's festival of Gauri and Shiva, the close of eighteen days of worship after Holi Chaitra, shukla 3 · sunrise |
April 2020
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 02 Apr 2020 Thursday |
Rama Navami Rama's birth Chaitra, shukla 9 · sunrise |
| 06 Apr 2020 Monday |
Mahavir Jayanti the birth of Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Jain Tirthankara Chaitra, shukla 13 · sunrise |
| 08 Apr 2020 Wednesday |
Hanuman Jayanti Hanuman's birth in most of north India Chaitra, shukla 15 · sunrise |
| 13 Apr 2020 Monday |
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 |
| 25 Apr 2020 Saturday |
Parashurama Jayanti the birth of Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu, kept at dusk Vaisakha, shukla 3 · pradosh (dusk) |
| 26 Apr 2020 Sunday |
Akshaya Tritiya held to need no muhurta of its own - the day is the muhurta Vaisakha, shukla 3 · sunrise |
May 2020
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 02 May 2020 Saturday |
Sita Navami the birth of Sita, kept at midday Vaisakha, shukla 9 · madhyahna (midday) |
| 06 May 2020 Wednesday |
Narasimha Jayanti Vishnu's appearance as Narasimha, which the story places at sunset Vaisakha, shukla 14 · sunset |
| 07 May 2020 Thursday |
Buddha Purnima the Buddha's birth, waking and death Vaisakha, shukla 15 · sunrise |
| 22 May 2020 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 |
June 2020
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 01 Jun 2020 Monday |
Ganga Dussehra the Ganga's descent Jyeshtha, shukla 10 · sunrise |
| 05 Jun 2020 Friday |
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 |
| 23 Jun 2020 Tuesday |
Rath Yatra Jagannath's chariot procession Ashadha, shukla 2 · sunrise |
July 2020
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 01 Jul 2020 Wednesday |
Devshayani Ekadashi Vishnu is held to sleep from here to Kartika; no marriages in between Ashadha, shukla 11 · sunrise |
| 05 Jul 2020 Sunday |
Guru Purnima honouring the teacher Ashadha, shukla 15 · sunrise |
| 23 Jul 2020 Thursday |
Hariyali Teej the monsoon festival of Parvati's union with Shiva; swings, green clothes and fasting Shravana, shukla 3 · sunrise |
| 25 Jul 2020 Saturday |
Nag Panchami the serpents Shravana, shukla 5 · sunrise |
August 2020
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 03 Aug 2020 Monday |
Raksha Bandhan the thread between siblings Shravana, shukla 15 · sunrise |
| 06 Aug 2020 Thursday |
Kajari Teej a fast by married women for their husbands, with songs of the rains Shravana, krishna 3 · sunrise |
| 12 Aug 2020 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 |
| 21 Aug 2020 Friday |
Hartalika Teej a strict fast by women in honour of Parvati's penance for Shiva Bhadrapada, shukla 3 · sunrise |
| 22 Aug 2020 Saturday |
Ganesh Chaturthi Ganesha's installation, kept in madhyahna - the middle of the day Bhadrapada, shukla 4 · madhyahna (midday) |
| 23 Aug 2020 Sunday |
Rishi Panchami honour to the seven sages, kept at midday Bhadrapada, shukla 5 · madhyahna (midday) |
| 26 Aug 2020 Wednesday |
Radha Ashtami the birth of Radha, fifteen days after Janmashtami, kept at midday Bhadrapada, shukla 8 · madhyahna (midday) |
September 2020
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 01 Sep 2020 Tuesday |
Anant Chaturdashi the immersion that closes Ganesh Chaturthi Bhadrapada, shukla 14 · sunrise |
| 02 Sep 2020 Wednesday |
Pitru Paksha begins a fortnight for the ancestors, ending at the next new moon Bhadrapada, shukla 15 · sunrise |
| 17 Sep 2020 Thursday |
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) |
October 2020
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 17 Oct 2020 Saturday |
Sharad Navaratri begins nine nights of the Goddess Ashwina, shukla 1 · sunrise |
| 24 Oct 2020 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 |
| 24 Oct 2020 Saturday |
Maha Navami the ninth night Ashwina, shukla 9 · aparahna (afternoon) |
| 25 Oct 2020 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) |
| 31 Oct 2020 Saturday |
Sharad Purnima the harvest moon Ashwina, shukla 15 · sunrise |
November 2020
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 04 Nov 2020 Wednesday |
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) |
| 08 Nov 2020 Sunday |
Ahoi Ashtami a mothers' fast for their children, broken on seeing the stars in the evening Ashwina, krishna 8 · pradosh (dusk) |
| 13 Nov 2020 Friday |
Dhanteras the first day of the Diwali sequence, kept at pradosh Ashwina, krishna 13 · pradosh (dusk) |
| 14 Nov 2020 Saturday |
Naraka Chaturdashi / Choti Diwali the pre-dawn oil bath Ashwina, krishna 14 · sunrise |
| 14 Nov 2020 Saturday |
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) |
| 16 Nov 2020 Monday |
Govardhan Puja / Bali Pratipada the day after Diwali Kartika, shukla 1 · sunrise |
| 16 Nov 2020 Monday |
Bhai Dooj brothers and sisters Kartika, 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. |
| 20 Nov 2020 Friday |
Chhath Puja (Sandhya Arghya) the offering to the setting Sun, so the date follows sunset Kartika, shukla 6 · pradosh (dusk) |
| 21 Nov 2020 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) |
| 25 Nov 2020 Wednesday |
Devuthani Ekadashi Vishnu wakes; the marriage season reopens Kartika, shukla 11 · sunrise |
| 26 Nov 2020 Thursday |
Tulsi Vivah the ceremonial marriage of the tulsi plant to Vishnu, which opens the wedding season Kartika, shukla 12 · sunrise |
| 30 Nov 2020 Monday |
Kartika Purnima / Dev Diwali the lamps on the ghats Kartika, shukla 15 · sunrise |
December 2020
| Date | Festival |
|---|---|
| 07 Dec 2020 Monday |
Kalabhairav Jayanti the appearance of Kala Bhairava, Shiva's fierce form, kept at midnight Kartika, krishna 8 · nishita (midnight) |
| 25 Dec 2020 Friday |
Gita Jayanti the day the Bhagavad Gita was spoken, on Mokshada Ekadashi Margashirsha, shukla 11 · sunrise |
| 25 Dec 2020 Friday |
Vaikuntha Ekadashi the southern observance Margashirsha, shukla 11 · sunrise |
| 29 Dec 2020 Tuesday |
Dattatreya Jayanti the birth of Dattatreya, kept in the evening of the full moon Margashirsha, shukla 15 · pradosh (dusk) |
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 2020 · 25 days
- Purnima 2020 · 13 days
- Amavasya 2020 · 12 days
- Pradosh 2020 · 25 days
- Sankashti Chaturthi 2020 · 12 days
- Vinayaka Chaturthi 2020 · 12 days
- Masik Shivaratri 2020 · 12 days
- Sankranti 2020 · 12 days
Dates and times are for Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Another town can differ by a day when a tithi changes close to sunrise. You can change the place above.