Panchangam 21 December 2026, Monday: Matsya Dwadashi, Ekadashi Parana, Soma Pradosh and Masik Karthigai, Tithi and Puja Vidhi

Quick answer: Monday 21 December 2026 is Margashirsha Shukla Dwadashi. Drik Panchang for Hyderabad gives Dwadashi until 5:36 PM IST, then Trayodashi, with Bharani nakshatra until 1:08 PM and Krittika after. Four observances share the day: Mokshada (Vaikuntha) Ekadashi parana, Matsya Dwadashi, Soma Pradosh Vrat and Masik Karthigai.

The day has a clear shape. Morning belongs to Vishnu: you complete the Ekadashi fast with a simple, grateful meal. Evening belongs to Shiva and his son: a Monday Pradosh lamp for Shiva, and Karthigai lamps for Murugan in Tamil homes. It is also the sixth dawn of Dhanurmasam.

Today's Panchang (Hyderabad)

Source: Drik Panchang day panchang for Hyderabad, Telangana (IST). Tithi and nakshatra end times are the same instant everywhere in India; sunrise, sunset and moonrise shift by a few minutes from city to city.

Religious significance

Dwadashi and the Ekadashi parana

An Ekadashi fast is traditionally completed by eating on Dwadashi, not by simply stopping the fast at midnight. Many families first offer food to Vishnu, then feed a guest or a Brahmin, and then eat themselves. Parana should be done while Dwadashi lasts; today that means before 5:36 PM IST. Exact parana windows, which some traditions refine further, are not part of our data, so please check a local panchang. Our Vaikuntha Ekadashi 2026 guide explains the custom.

Matsya Dwadashi

Matsya, the fish, is the first of Vishnu's ten avatars in the familiar Dashavatara list. The Matsya Purana and other texts tell how a tiny fish asked King Manu for protection, grew enormous, and then guided Manu's boat through the great flood. Remembering Matsya on Dwadashi connects the Ekadashi just completed with the idea of being carried safely across the waters of life.

Soma Pradosh and Masik Karthigai

Pradosh is the twilight of Trayodashi, sacred to Shiva. When it falls on a Monday, the day of Soma (the Moon), it is called Soma Pradosh and is especially valued by Shiva devotees. In Tamil homes, the evening Krittika nakshatra makes it Masik Karthigai, when rows of lamps are lit for Murugan. For more, see our Masik Karthigai guide.

Puja vidhi for the day

• Morning: bathe, light a lamp to Vishnu, read the Tiruppavai pasuram for the day, and offer the food you will eat to break the fast.
• Break the fast with something light, such as fruit, then a simple meal.
• Remember Matsya with a short prayer, or read the story of the flood to the family.
• Evening, just after sunset (5:47 PM): light a lamp before Shiva, offer water or milk abhishekam to a lingam if you have one, and offer bilva leaves if available.
• If your family keeps Karthigai, light several small lamps at the entrance and in the puja room for Murugan.

No materials? In the morning, eat your first bite of food with a silent thank-you to the Lord. In the evening, light one lamp. That covers the whole day.

Mantra for the day

Om Namo Narayanaya

Meaning: "Salutations to Narayana." Matsya is a form of Narayana, and chanting this mantra before breaking the fast is a fitting close to the Ekadashi vrat. Recite it as a prayer of gratitude, not as a demand for any result.

Pradosh vrat guidance

Some devotees fast through the day until the evening Pradosh puja. If you have just completed an Ekadashi fast, there is no need to fast again; a light, sattvic meal and the evening lamp are enough. Elderly people, pregnant women and anyone with a medical condition should not fast without a doctor's advice.

What you can do today

• Complete the Ekadashi parana before 5:36 PM IST, preferably in the morning.
• Share food with someone before eating yourself, in keeping with the Dwadashi custom.
• Read the Matsya story from a children's Dashavatara book or the Bhagavata Purana.
• Visit a Shiva temple at dusk for Pradosh, or light a lamp at home.
• Light Karthigai lamps for Murugan if this is your family's practice.
• Check TTD's official channels if you are at Tirumala for Chakra Snanam.

For families and children

The Matsya story is ideal for children: a small fish that asks for help, a kind king, and a great boat on the flood. Ask them to draw the fish pulling the boat. In the evening let them place the Karthigai or Pradosh lamps, under supervision.

Hindus abroad: Mon 21 Dec at local sunrise

Outside India, go by your local sunrise, not Indian clock times. The table gives local sunrise and sunset and the tithi and nakshatra at local sunrise, computed with HinduTone's panchang calculator, validated against Drik Panchang; festival dates abroad can differ by a day — follow your temple's panchang.

This is a day when time zones matter. In New York and Toronto, Trayodashi already prevails at sunrise, so the parana and Pradosh may fall on different dates locally. Follow your temple's panchang for both.

Frequently asked questions

When should I break the Vaikuntha Ekadashi fast on 21 December 2026?

Parana is done on Dwadashi, which in Hyderabad lasts until 5:36 PM IST on Monday 21 December. Most families break the fast in the morning after puja. Our data does not include the exact parana window, so check a local panchang for your city.

What is Matsya Dwadashi?

It is the Margashirsha Shukla Dwadashi, kept in some traditions in honour of Matsya, the fish form of Vishnu. In the Puranic story, Matsya saves Manu and the seeds of life from a great flood and rescues the Vedas.

Is Soma Pradosh on 21 or 22 December 2026?

Drik Panchang lists Soma Pradosh Vrat on Monday 21 December for Hyderabad, because Trayodashi begins at 5:36 PM, just before sunset at 5:47 PM, and so prevails during the evening pradosha period. Some other calendars may show Pradosh on 22 December; follow your local panchang or temple.

Why is Masik Karthigai today when the nakshatra is Bharani?

Bharani ends at 1:08 PM and Krittika (Karthigai) nakshatra follows. Masik Karthigai is kept in the evening, when Krittika prevails and lamps are lit for Murugan.

Is Tirumala Chakra Snanam on Dwadashi?

Chakra Snanam at the Swami Pushkarini is traditionally held on Vaikuntha Dwadashi, which would be 21 December. As of 9 October 2026 TTD had not announced its 2026 schedule, so please confirm on TTD's official channels.

A closing thought

Fasting teaches restraint; breaking the fast teaches gratitude. Eat today's first meal slowly, remembering everyone who grew and cooked it. Tomorrow is a Tuesday Trayodashi, Hanuman Jayanti in Karnataka, and the shortest day of the year.

Previous day: Panchang Sunday 20 December 2026. Next day: Panchang Tuesday 22 December 2026. Whole month: December 2026 Hindu festivals, dates and rituals.

Editor's note

Editor's note (9 October 2026): Panchang timings and festival observances can vary by location, regional calendar and family tradition. This guide follows Drik Panchang for Hyderabad (IST). Please verify local puja timings with a trusted panchang or priest.

Related guides

• Tirumala Vaikuntha Ekadasi 2026: Vaikuntha Dwara darshan
• December 2026 vrat and fasting calendar
• Om Namah Shivaya: the five-syllable mantra
• How to do abhishekam at home