Quick answer: The December 2026 Hindu festivals begin with Kalabhairav Jayanti on Tuesday 1 December and reach their peak on Sunday 20 December 2026, when Vaikuntha Ekadashi, Mokshada Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti fall on the same day. Other key days are Vivah Panchami (14 December), Subrahmanya Shashti (15 December), the start of Dhanurmasam and Margazhi (16 December) and Datta Jayanti on Wednesday 23 December 2026.

December is a deeply devotional month. Karthika Masam ends with the Amavasya on 8 December, and Margasira (Margashirsha) begins the next day. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna names Margashirsha as the best of months. From 16 December, Dhanurmasam brings early-morning worship of Vishnu and the singing of Andal's Tiruppavai.

All dates below are India dates. Dates labelled Drik come from Drik Panchang (New Delhi). Dates labelled calculated come from HinduTone's ephemeris calculator, which we checked against Drik Panchang to within one or two minutes. Please confirm calculated dates on Drik Panchang or in your local panchang.

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December 2026 Hindu festivals at a glance

Date (India)FestivalWhat it is
Tue 1 Dec (Drik)Kalabhairav JayantiAppearance day of Kala Bhairava, the fierce form of Shiva
Fri 4 Dec (Drik)Utpanna EkadashiEkadashi fast; as commonly told, the day Goddess Ekadashi appeared
Sun 6 Dec (Drik)Ravi Pradosh VratEvening Shiva worship on Trayodashi, falling on a Sunday
Mon 7 Dec (Drik)Masik Shivaratri (Karthika Masa Shivaratri)Monthly Shivaratri; the last Monday of Karthika Masam
Tue 8 Dec (Drik)AmavasyaNew moon; end of Karthika in the amanta calendar
Wed 9 Dec (calculated)Margasira / Margashirsha beginsSouth Indian amanta month, to Thu 7 Jan 2027
Thu 10 Dec (calculated)First Margashirsha Guruvar / Lakshmivara vratamThursday Lakshmi worship; also 17, 24, 31 Dec and 7 Jan
Sun 13 Dec (calculated)Vinayaka ChaturthiMonthly Shukla Chaturthi for Ganesha
Mon 14 Dec (calculated)Vivah PanchamiWedding anniversary of Rama and Sita
Tue 15 Dec (calculated)Subrahmanya Shashti / Champa ShashtiWorship of Kartikeya; Khandoba in Maharashtra
Wed 16 Dec (calculated)Dhanu Sankranti; Dhanurmasam and Margazhi beginSun enters Sagittarius; month of dawn worship
Sun 20 Dec (calculated)Vaikuntha (Mukkoti) Ekadashi, Mokshada Ekadashi, Gita JayantiNorthern gate darshan at Vishnu temples; Gita's birthday
Tue 22 Dec (calculated)Bhauma Pradosh; Hanuman Jayanti (Karnataka)Pradosh on a Tuesday; Hanumad Vratha
Wed 23 Dec (calculated)Margashirsha Purnima, Datta Jayanti, Annapurna JayantiFull moon; birth of Dattatreya; Annapurna worship
Thu 24 Dec (calculated)Paush begins (purnimanta)New month in North Indian calendars
Sun 3 Jan 2027 (calculated)Saphala EkadashiFirst Ekadashi of the new year

For fasting days only, see the December 2026 vrat and fasting calendar. For regional festivals, see December 2026 festivals state-wise.

Week 1 (1 to 7 December): Kalabhairav Jayanti and the last days of Karthika

Kalabhairav Jayanti, Tuesday 1 December 2026 (Drik). Kala Bhairava is the fierce form of Shiva and is honoured as the guardian of Kashi. Devotees light a lamp with mustard or sesame oil, recite the Kalabhairava Ashtakam and, in many homes, feed dogs, which are linked with Bhairava. See Kalabhairava Jayanti 2026.

Utpanna Ekadashi, Friday 4 December 2026 (Drik). As commonly told, the goddess Ekadashi emerged from Vishnu's body to defeat the demon Mura, so this Ekadashi is seen as the "birth" of the Ekadashi vrat. Many people who wish to begin regular Ekadashi fasting start on this day. See Utpanna Ekadashi 2026.

Ravi Pradosh, Sunday 6 December, and Karthika Masa Shivaratri, Monday 7 December 2026 (Drik). These two Shiva days close Karthika Masam. The Shivaratri falls on the last Karthika Somavaram, so many Telugu families keep a special fast with Rudrabhishekam and lamps. See Karthika Masa Shivaratri 2026 and the Karthika Masam 2026 calendar day by day.

Week 2 (8 to 14 December): Amavasya, Margasira begins, Vivah Panchami

Amavasya, Tuesday 8 December 2026 (Drik). The new moon ends Karthika in the amanta calendar. The Amavasya tithi runs until about 6:21 AM IST on 9 December. It is a day for tarpan and remembering ancestors. See Karthika Amavasya 2026.

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Margasira Masam begins, Wednesday 9 December 2026 (calculated). For Telugu, Kannada and Marathi families, the month of Margasira (Margashirsha) runs to Thursday 7 January 2027. Its Thursdays are kept for Lakshmi: the Margasira Lakshmivara vratam in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and the Margashirsha Guruvar vrat in Maharashtra. The first Thursday is 10 December. See Margasira Masam 2026 and Margashirsha Guruvar Vrat 2026.

Vinayaka Chaturthi, Sunday 13 December (calculated), and Vivah Panchami, Monday 14 December 2026 (calculated). As commonly told, Vivah Panchami is the day Rama married Sita in Mithila. It is celebrated with great joy in Janakpur and Ayodhya. See Vivah Panchami 2026.

Week 3 (15 to 21 December): Shashti, Dhanurmasam and Vaikuntha Ekadashi

Subrahmanya Shashti and Champa Shashti, Tuesday 15 December 2026 (calculated). In Karnataka and the Telugu states, Margasira Shukla Shashti is sacred to Lord Subrahmanya (Kartikeya). Kukke Subramanya in Karnataka is especially associated with this day. In Maharashtra, the same day is Champa Shashti, the climax of the six-day festival of Khandoba. See Subrahmanya Shashti 2026 and Champa Shashti 2026.

Dhanurmasam and Margazhi begin, Wednesday 16 December 2026 (calculated). When the Sun enters Dhanu (Sagittarius), Dhanurmasam begins. For a month, Vishnu temples hold early-morning worship and devotees sing Andal's Tiruppavai, one verse a day. The Tamil month of Margazhi begins on the same day. See Dhanurmasam 2026, Margazhi 2026 and Tiruppavai 30 pasurams.

Vaikuntha Ekadashi, Mokshada Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti, Sunday 20 December 2026 (calculated). This is the most important day of the month. Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi falls inside Dhanurmasam, so it is Vaikuntha (Mukkoti) Ekadashi. Vishnu temples open their northern gate, the Vaikuntha Dwaram, for darshan. The same day is Gita Jayanti, remembered as the day Krishna taught the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna. Parana (breaking the fast) is on Monday 21 December; check the exact window on Drik Panchang. See Vaikuntha Ekadashi 2026 in India and Gita Jayanti 2026.

Week 4 (22 to 31 December): Hanuman Jayanti, Datta Jayanti and Paush

Bhauma Pradosh and Hanuman Jayanti (Karnataka), Tuesday 22 December 2026 (calculated). Karnataka observes Hanuman Jayanti, also called Hanumad Vratha, on Margashirsha Shukla Trayodashi. This is different from the Chaitra Hanuman Jayanti of North India. See Hanuman Jayanti Karnataka 2026.

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Datta Jayanti and Annapurna Jayanti, Wednesday 23 December 2026 (calculated). Margashirsha Purnima begins around 10:48 AM IST on 23 December. Datta Jayanti celebrates Lord Dattatreya, worshipped as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in one form. Annapurna Jayanti honours the goddess of food, with special worship in Varanasi. See Datta Jayanti 2026, Annapurna Jayanti 2026 and Margasira Pournami 2026.

Paush begins, Thursday 24 December 2026 (calculated). In the purnimanta calendar of North India, Margashirsha ends at the full moon and Paush begins. The remaining Margasira Thursdays in the South are 24 and 31 December.

Looking ahead: early January 2027

  • Saphala Ekadashi: Sunday 3 January 2027 (calculated).
  • Last Margasira Thursday: Thursday 7 January 2027 (calculated). Pausha begins on Friday 8 January in the amanta calendar.
  • Makar Sankranti / Thai Pongal: the Sun enters Makara around 8:56 PM IST on Thursday 14 January 2027 (calculated). Because this is after sunset, the festival is usually observed on Friday 15 January 2027. Please confirm on Drik Panchang.

Why December dates differ between calendars

India uses two lunar systems. In the amanta system (South and West India), a month ends on the new moon. In the purnimanta system (North India), it ends on the full moon. So the same Utpanna Ekadashi on 4 December falls in Karthika for a Telugu family and in Margashirsha for a family in Uttar Pradesh. Festival dates themselves stay the same; only the month names change.

Solar festivals, like Dhanu Sankranti and Margazhi, follow the Sun's movement instead. If you live abroad, a tithi can begin on a different local date, so check Drik Panchang for your own city rather than converting Indian times.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main December 2026 Hindu festivals?

The main days are Kalabhairav Jayanti (Tuesday 1 December), Utpanna Ekadashi (Friday 4 December), Vivah Panchami (Monday 14 December, calculated), Subrahmanya or Champa Shashti (Tuesday 15 December, calculated), Vaikuntha Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti (Sunday 20 December, calculated) and Datta Jayanti (Wednesday 23 December, calculated). These are India dates.

When is Vaikuntha Ekadashi 2026?

Vaikuntha Ekadashi, also called Mukkoti Ekadashi, falls on Sunday 20 December 2026 in India (calculated). It is the same day as Mokshada Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti. Because it falls inside Dhanurmasam, South Indian Vaishnava temples observe it as Vaikuntha Ekadashi.

When does Dhanurmasam 2026 start?

Dhanurmasam begins with Dhanu Sankranti on Wednesday 16 December 2026 (calculated). The Tamil month of Margazhi begins on the same day. Dhanurmasam ends at Makar Sankranti, which is usually observed on Friday 15 January 2027; please confirm on Drik Panchang.

When is Margasira Masam 2026?

In the amanta calendar used in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Margasira (Margashirsha) runs from Wednesday 9 December 2026 to Thursday 7 January 2027 (calculated). In the purnimanta calendar of North India, Paush begins on Thursday 24 December 2026.

Is Datta Jayanti on 23 or 24 December 2026?

Our calculation places Datta Jayanti on Wednesday 23 December 2026, on Margashirsha Purnima. The Purnima tithi begins around 10:48 AM IST on 23 December and runs into early 24 December. Some local calendars may differ, so follow your Datta temple or family panchang.

Are these dates the same outside India?

Not always. Tithis change at different local times around the world, so a festival can fall a day earlier or later abroad. The dates here are India dates. If you live outside India, check Drik Panchang for your own city.

Editor's note

Editor's note (6 October 2026): This December 2026 festival calendar has been restored at its original hindutone.com address after the earlier version was lost. Dates up to 10 December come from Drik Panchang (New Delhi). Later dates are calculated by HinduTone's ephemeris calculator, which we checked against Drik Panchang; they are labelled "calculated". We do not list temple timings or event schedules. Please check temple announcements and your local panchang.