Festival calendar
Festivals 2024 · 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.
January 2024
| Date | Festival | Lunar date |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Jan 2024 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 |
| 25 Jan 2024 Thursday |
Pausha Purnima the Magha bathing month opens |
Pausha, shukla 15 |
February 2024
| Date | Festival | Lunar date |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Feb 2024 Wednesday |
Vasant Panchami Saraswati, and the first of spring |
Magha, shukla 5 |
March 2024
| Date | Festival | Lunar date |
|---|---|---|
| 08 Mar 2024 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 |
| 24 Mar 2024 Sunday |
Holika Dahan the bonfire is lit at pradosh, so the date follows the evening |
Phalguna, shukla 15 |
| 25 Mar 2024 Monday |
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 |
April 2024
| Date | Festival | Lunar date |
|---|---|---|
| 02 Apr 2024 Tuesday |
Sheetala Ashtami (Basoda) worship of Sheetala Mata; food cooked the day before is eaten cold |
Phalguna, krishna 8 |
| 09 Apr 2024 Tuesday |
Ugadi / Gudi Padwa the lunar new year in the Deccan and Maharashtra |
Chaitra, shukla 1 |
| 09 Apr 2024 Tuesday |
Chaitra Navratri begins the first of the nine nights of the spring Navratri, with ghatasthapana in the morning |
Chaitra, shukla 1 |
| 11 Apr 2024 Thursday |
Gangaur women's festival of Gauri and Shiva, the close of eighteen days of worship after Holi |
Chaitra, shukla 3 |
| 13 Apr 2024 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 |
| 17 Apr 2024 Wednesday |
Rama Navami Rama's birth |
Chaitra, shukla 9 |
| 21 Apr 2024 Sunday |
Mahavir Jayanti the birth of Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Jain Tirthankara |
Chaitra, shukla 13 |
| 23 Apr 2024 Tuesday |
Hanuman Jayanti Hanuman's birth in most of north India |
Chaitra, shukla 15 |
May 2024
| Date | Festival | Lunar date |
|---|---|---|
| 10 May 2024 Friday |
Akshaya Tritiya held to need no muhurta of its own - the day is the muhurta |
Vaisakha, shukla 3 |
| 10 May 2024 Friday |
Parashurama Jayanti the birth of Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu, kept at dusk |
Vaisakha, shukla 3 |
| 16 May 2024 Thursday |
Sita Navami the birth of Sita, kept at midday |
Vaisakha, shukla 9 |
| 21 May 2024 Tuesday |
Narasimha Jayanti Vishnu's appearance as Narasimha, which the story places at sunset |
Vaisakha, shukla 14 |
| 23 May 2024 Thursday |
Buddha Purnima the Buddha's birth, waking and death |
Vaisakha, shukla 15 |
June 2024
| Date | Festival | Lunar date |
|---|---|---|
| 06 Jun 2024 Thursday |
Shani Jayanti / Vat Savitri Vrat the birth of Shani; married women also fast and worship the banyan tree for their husbands |
Vaisakha, krishna 15 |
| 16 Jun 2024 Sunday |
Ganga Dussehra the Ganga's descent |
Jyeshtha, shukla 10 |
| 22 Jun 2024 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 |
July 2024
| Date | Festival | Lunar date |
|---|---|---|
| 07 Jul 2024 Sunday |
Rath Yatra Jagannath's chariot procession |
Ashadha, shukla 2 |
| 17 Jul 2024 Wednesday |
Devshayani Ekadashi Vishnu is held to sleep from here to Kartika; no marriages in between |
Ashadha, shukla 11 |
| 21 Jul 2024 Sunday |
Guru Purnima honouring the teacher |
Ashadha, shukla 15 |
August 2024
| Date | Festival | Lunar date |
|---|---|---|
| 07 Aug 2024 Wednesday |
Hariyali Teej the monsoon festival of Parvati's union with Shiva; swings, green clothes and fasting |
Shravana, shukla 3 |
| 09 Aug 2024 Friday |
Nag Panchami the serpents |
Shravana, shukla 5 |
| 19 Aug 2024 Monday |
Raksha Bandhan the thread between siblings |
Shravana, shukla 15 |
| 22 Aug 2024 Thursday |
Kajari Teej a fast by married women for their husbands, with songs of the rains |
Shravana, krishna 3 |
| 26 Aug 2024 Monday |
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 |
September 2024
| Date | Festival | Lunar date |
|---|---|---|
| 06 Sep 2024 Friday |
Hartalika Teej a strict fast by women in honour of Parvati's penance for Shiva |
Bhadrapada, shukla 3 |
| 07 Sep 2024 Saturday |
Ganesh Chaturthi Ganesha's installation, kept in madhyahna - the middle of the day |
Bhadrapada, shukla 4 |
| 08 Sep 2024 Sunday |
Rishi Panchami honour to the seven sages, kept at midday |
Bhadrapada, shukla 5 |
| 11 Sep 2024 Wednesday |
Radha Ashtami the birth of Radha, fifteen days after Janmashtami, kept at midday |
Bhadrapada, shukla 8 |
| 17 Sep 2024 Tuesday |
Anant Chaturdashi the immersion that closes Ganesh Chaturthi |
Bhadrapada, shukla 14 |
| 18 Sep 2024 Wednesday |
Pitru Paksha begins a fortnight for the ancestors, ending at the next new moon |
Bhadrapada, shukla 15 |
October 2024
| Date | Festival | Lunar date |
|---|---|---|
| 02 Oct 2024 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 |
| 03 Oct 2024 Thursday |
Sharad Navaratri begins nine nights of the Goddess |
Ashwina, shukla 1 |
| 11 Oct 2024 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 |
| 11 Oct 2024 Friday |
Maha Navami the ninth night |
Ashwina, shukla 9 |
| 12 Oct 2024 Saturday |
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 |
| 17 Oct 2024 Thursday |
Sharad Purnima the harvest moon |
Ashwina, shukla 15 |
| 20 Oct 2024 Sunday |
Karva Chauth the fast breaks at moonrise, so the date follows the evening - Kartika Krishna 4 in the purnimanta reckoning |
Ashwina, krishna 4 |
| 24 Oct 2024 Thursday |
Ahoi Ashtami a mothers' fast for their children, broken on seeing the stars in the evening |
Ashwina, krishna 8 |
| 29 Oct 2024 Tuesday |
Dhanteras the first day of the Diwali sequence, kept at pradosh |
Ashwina, krishna 13 |
| 31 Oct 2024 Thursday |
Naraka Chaturdashi / Choti Diwali the pre-dawn oil bath |
Ashwina, krishna 14 |
| 31 Oct 2024 Thursday |
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 |
November 2024
| Date | Festival | Lunar date |
|---|---|---|
| 02 Nov 2024 Saturday |
Govardhan Puja / Bali Pratipada the day after Diwali |
Kartika, shukla 1 |
| 03 Nov 2024 Sunday |
Bhai Dooj brothers and sisters |
Kartika, shukla 2 |
| 07 Nov 2024 Thursday |
Chhath Puja (Sandhya Arghya) the offering to the setting Sun, so the date follows sunset |
Kartika, shukla 6 |
| 08 Nov 2024 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 |
| 12 Nov 2024 Tuesday |
Devuthani Ekadashi Vishnu wakes; the marriage season reopens |
Kartika, shukla 11 |
| 13 Nov 2024 Wednesday |
Tulsi Vivah the ceremonial marriage of the tulsi plant to Vishnu, which opens the wedding season |
Kartika, shukla 12 |
| 15 Nov 2024 Friday |
Kartika Purnima / Dev Diwali the lamps on the ghats 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. |
Kartika, shukla 15 |
| 22 Nov 2024 Friday |
Kalabhairav Jayanti the appearance of Kala Bhairava, Shiva's fierce form, kept at midnight |
Kartika, krishna 8 |
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 2024 · 25 days
- Purnima 2024 · 12 days
- Amavasya 2024 · 13 days
- Pradosh 2024 · 25 days
- Sankashti Chaturthi 2024 · 12 days
- Vinayaka Chaturthi 2024 · 12 days
- Masik Shivaratri 2024 · 13 days
- Sankranti 2024 · 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.