December 2026 Hindu Festivals in Malaysia: Dates & Tithi

Quick answer: the December 2026 Hindu festivals in Malaysia follow the India dates below unless your temple says otherwise: Kalabhairav Jayanti on Tuesday 1 December, Utpanna Ekadashi on Friday 4 December, Masik (Karthika Masa) Shivaratri on Monday 7 December, Vivah Panchami on Monday 14 December, Subrahmanya Shashti on Tuesday 15 December, Dhanurmasam and Margazhi from Wednesday 16 December, Vaikuntha Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti on Sunday 20 December, Datta Jayanti on Wednesday 23 December and Mandala Pooja on Sunday 27 December. Malaysia has no country-specific December dates in our Drik data, so festival dates here are India's, with Kuala Lumpur's sunrise and tithi for every day.

Malaysia's Hindus, most of them Tamil, with Telugu, Malayali, Punjabi and Sri Lankan Tamil communities alongside, keep a temple calendar that is older than many in the diaspora. December belongs above all to Margazhi: dawn bhajans, Andal's Tiruppavai, kolams at the doorstep and Vaikunta Ekadasi at Perumal temples.

The year-end school holidays and the northeast monsoon also shape the month. Heavy rain is common, especially on the east coast, so families often plan temple visits around the weather, and many travel to relatives in other states. This page gives Kuala Lumpur's sunrise and tithi for every day alongside India's festival list.

How these dates were made: India dates and the Observances column come from Drik Panchang's day panchang for Hyderabad. The Kuala Lumpur columns (sunrise, and the tithi prevailing at local sunrise) were computed with HinduTone's panchang calculator, which we validated against Drik Panchang. Malaysia has no country entry in our Drik festival data for December. For every other festival we give the India date: abroad it may fall a day earlier or later — check your local temple.

December 2026 at a glance for Malaysia

December 2026 opens in the final week of Karthika (amanta reckoning) and ends in the dark fortnight of Margashirsha. Karthika closes with the Amavasya on Tuesday 8 December; Margashirsha (Margasira) begins on Wednesday 9 December; Dhanurmasam starts with Dhanu Sankranti on Wednesday 16 December; and North Indian purnimanta calendars move into Pausha on Friday 25 December. The month's high point is Sunday 20 December, when Vaikuntha Ekadashi, Mokshada Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti coincide.

In Kuala Lumpur, sunrise moves from 7:02 AM on Tue 1 Dec to 7:16 AM on Thu 31 Dec. On 1 day the tithi at Kuala Lumpur's sunrise differs from Hyderabad's: Wed 9 Dec (Krishna Amavasya in Kuala Lumpur, Shukla Pratipada in Hyderabad). Kuala Lumpur is two and a half hours ahead of India, so its sunrise comes in India's early morning; on 9 December the Amavasya, which ends at 6:21 AM IST, is still running when the sun rises in Kuala Lumpur.

December 2026 Hindu calendar for Malaysia: day by day

Each date links to that day's full panchang. The tithi and sunrise are for Kuala Lumpur; the Observances column lists the festivals Drik Panchang gives for India on that date, so treat it as a guide and confirm local festival days with your temple.

Date	Weekday	Tithi at sunrise (Kuala Lumpur)	Sunrise (Kuala Lumpur)	Observances (India date)
Tue 1 Dec	Tuesday	Krishna Ashtami	7:02 AM	Kalabhairav Jayanti; Kalashtami; Masik Krishna Janmashtami
Wed 2 Dec	Wednesday	Krishna Navami	7:02 AM	—
Thu 3 Dec	Thursday	Krishna Dashami	7:03 AM	—
Fri 4 Dec	Friday	Krishna Ekadashi	7:03 AM	Utpanna Ekadashi
Sat 5 Dec	Saturday	Krishna Dwadashi	7:04 AM	Krishna Yogeshwara Dwadashi; Utpanna Ekadashi Parana
Sun 6 Dec	Sunday	Krishna Trayodashi	7:04 AM	Ravi Pradosh Vrat
Mon 7 Dec	Monday	Krishna Chaturdashi	7:04 AM	Bala Jayanti; Masik Shivaratri (Karthika Masa Shivaratri)
Tue 8 Dec	Tuesday	Krishna Amavasya	7:05 AM	Darsha Amavasya; Margashirsha Amavasya
Wed 9 Dec	Wednesday	Krishna Amavasya	7:05 AM	—
Thu 10 Dec	Thursday	Shukla Pratipada	7:06 AM	Chandra Darshana
Fri 11 Dec	Friday	Shukla Dwitiya	7:06 AM	—
Sat 12 Dec	Saturday	Shukla Tritiya	7:07 AM	—
Sun 13 Dec	Sunday	Shukla Chaturthi	7:07 AM	Vinayaka Chaturthi (Krichchhra Chaturthi)
Mon 14 Dec	Monday	Shukla Panchami	7:08 AM	Naga Panchami (Telugu); Vivah Panchami
Tue 15 Dec	Tuesday	Shukla Shashthi	7:08 AM	Champa Shashthi; Skanda Sashti; Subrahmanya Sashti
Wed 16 Dec	Wednesday	Shukla Saptami	7:09 AM	Dhanu Sankranti
Thu 17 Dec	Thursday	Shukla Ashtami	7:09 AM	Masik Durgashtami
Fri 18 Dec	Friday	Shukla Navami	7:10 AM	—
Sat 19 Dec	Saturday	Shukla Dashami	7:10 AM	—
Sun 20 Dec	Sunday	Shukla Ekadashi	7:11 AM	Gita Jayanti; Mokshada Ekadashi; Vaikuntha Ekadashi
Mon 21 Dec	Monday	Shukla Dwadashi	7:11 AM	Masik Karthigai; Matsya Dwadashi; Mokshada Ekadashi Parana; Soma Pradosh Vrat
Tue 22 Dec	Tuesday	Shukla Trayodashi	7:12 AM	Hanuman Jayanti (Karnataka)
Wed 23 Dec	Wednesday	Shukla Chaturdashi	7:12 AM	Dattatreya Jayanti; Margashirsha Purnima Vrat; Rohini Vrat
Thu 24 Dec	Thursday	Shukla Purnima	7:13 AM	Annapurna Jayanti; Arudra Darshan; Bhairavi Jayanti; Margashirsha Purnima
Fri 25 Dec	Friday	Krishna Dwitiya	7:13 AM	Pausha begins (North Indian purnimanta)
Sat 26 Dec	Saturday	Krishna Tritiya	7:14 AM	Akhuratha Sankashti
Sun 27 Dec	Sunday	Krishna Chaturthi	7:14 AM	Mandala Pooja
Mon 28 Dec	Monday	Krishna Panchami	7:15 AM	—
Tue 29 Dec	Tuesday	Krishna Shashthi	7:15 AM	—
Wed 30 Dec	Wednesday	Krishna Saptami	7:16 AM	Kalashtami; Masik Krishna Janmashtami
Thu 31 Dec	Thursday	Krishna Ashtami	7:16 AM	—

Kalabhairav Jayanti: Tue 1 Dec

Kalabhairav Jayanti honours Kala Bhairava, the fierce form of Shiva who guards Kashi, on the Krishna Ashtami of Kartika. Drik Panchang lists it on Tuesday 1 December for India, together with Kalashtami. That is the India date; abroad it may fall a day earlier or later — check your local temple. Read our Kalabhairava Jayanti 2026 guide and the 1 December panchang.

The last week of Karthika: Utpanna Ekadashi, Pradosh and Shivaratri

Utpanna Ekadashi, remembered as the birth of the Ekadashi goddess who defeated the demon Mura, falls on Friday 4 December in India, with parana on Saturday 5 December. Ravi Pradosh follows on Sunday 6 December, and Masik Shivaratri on Monday 7 December coincides with the last Karthika Somavaram, which is why Telugu families call it Karthika Masa Shivaratri. These are India dates; abroad it may fall a day earlier or later — check your local temple. HinduTone's calculator shows Ekadashi at Kuala Lumpur's sunrise on Fri 4 Dec as well. See Utpanna Ekadashi 2026 and Karthika Masa Shivaratri 2026.

Margashirsha begins: Amavasya, the new month and Margasira Thursdays

In the amanta calendar of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Margashirsha begins on Wednesday 9 December, the day after the Amavasya, and Chandra Darshana, the first sighting of the crescent moon, is on Thursday 10 December. Krishna names Margashirsha as the best of months in the Bhagavad Gita (10.35). Families who keep the Margasira Lakshmivara vratam worship Lakshmi on its Thursdays, which in December are Thu 10 Dec, Thu 17 Dec, Thu 24 Dec and Thu 31 Dec. Vinayaka Chaturthi follows on Sunday 13 December. Kuala Lumpur's sunrise on Wednesday 9 December still falls in Amavasya, so the local panchang shows Shukla Pratipada only from 10 December; ask your temple which day it treats as the first of the month. Our Margasira Masam 2026 guide has the vratam in full.

Vivah Panchami and Subrahmanya Shashti

Vivah Panchami on Monday 14 December celebrates the wedding of Rama and Sita and is kept with special devotion in Janakpur and Ayodhya; Telugu calendars mark Naga Panchami the same day. On Tuesday 15 December the Shukla Shashthi is Subrahmanya Shashti in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Champa Shashti for Khandoba devotees in Maharashtra and a monthly Skanda Sashti for Murugan devotees. Both are India dates; abroad it may fall a day earlier or later — check your local temple. For Malaysian Murugan devotees the major Skanda Sashti and Soora Samharam fell in November; the December Shashti is the monthly observance. Guides: Vivah Panchami 2026 and Subrahmanya Shashti 2026.

Dhanurmasam and Margazhi from Wed 16 Dec

Dhanu Sankranti on Wednesday 16 December opens Dhanurmasam, the solar month in which Vishnu temples hold pre-dawn worship and devotees sing Andal's Tiruppavai, one verse a day; for Tamil families it is the first day of Margazhi. Drik lists the Sankranti on this date for India, and we do not convert India's transit time to Malaysia. In Kuala Lumpur sunrise is about 7:09 AM in mid-December, so the pre-dawn Margazhi bhajans that many temples hold fit comfortably before the working day. See Dhanurmasam 2026 and the Tiruppavai schedule and Margazhi 2026.

Vaikuntha Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti: Sun 20 Dec

Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi is Mokshada Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti, the day the Bhagavad Gita is remembered as spoken at Kurukshetra. Because it falls inside Dhanurmasam this year, South Indian Vishnu temples keep it as Vaikuntha (Mukkoti) Ekadashi and open the northern Vaikuntha Dwaram. In India it is Sunday 20 December, with parana on Monday 21 December, which is also Soma Pradosh. HinduTone's calculator shows Ekadashi prevailing at Kuala Lumpur's sunrise on Sun 20 Dec too, but Vaishnava and Smarta rules can still separate the fast by a day, so abroad it may fall a day earlier or later — check your local temple. Read Vaikuntha Ekadashi 2026 in India and the Tirumala Vaikuntha Dwara darshan for the tradition behind the day.

Hanuman Jayanti, Datta Jayanti and Margashirsha Purnima

Karnataka keeps Hanuman Jayanti (Hanumad Vratha) on Margashirsha Shukla Trayodashi, Tuesday 22 December. Datta Jayanti, the birth of Lord Dattatreya, is on Wednesday 23 December with the Purnima vrat, because the full-moon tithi begins during that day in India. Drik lists Margashirsha Purnima itself, Arudra Darshan (Nataraja's Thiruvathirai festival) and Annapurna Jayanti on Thursday 24 December; some calendars keep Annapurna Jayanti with Datta Jayanti on the 23rd. In Kuala Lumpur, as in Hyderabad, Chaturdashi prevails at sunrise on the 23rd and Purnima at sunrise on the 24th, the day Drik gives for Arudra Darshan in India. India dates; abroad it may fall a day earlier or later — check your local temple. Guides: Datta Jayanti 2026, Hanuman Jayanti in Karnataka and Annapurna Jayanti.

Year-end: Sankashti, Mandala Pooja and Kalashtami

North Indian purnimanta calendars begin Pausha on Friday 25 December. Akhuratha Sankashti Chaturthi, the Ganesha fast broken after moonrise, is on Saturday 26 December; Mandala Pooja at Sabarimala, which closes the 41-day Mandalam season, is on Sunday 27 December; and Kalashtami with Masik Krishna Janmashtami falls on Wednesday 30 December. India dates; abroad it may fall a day earlier or later — check your local temple. Ayyappa devotees in Malaysia who took the mala at the start of the Mandalam season usually complete their vratham with bhajans and padi puja around this time. Read Sabarimala Mandala Pooja 2026 and why Sankashti is broken at moonrise.

Keeping December in Malaysia: Margazhi, temples and the monsoon

Malaysia's best-known Hindu sites, such as the Batu Caves Murugan shrine near Kuala Lumpur and the Sri Mahamariamman Temple in the city centre, are busy through Margazhi, and Perumal temples across the country see their largest crowds on Vaikunta Ekadasi. Arrive early, dress modestly, and check each temple's official notices for timings.

At home, Margazhi is a month of small daily disciplines: a rice-flour kolam before sunrise, a lamp, and one verse of Thiruppavai or Thiruvempavai. Children on school holiday can take a turn reading the verse, which is a simple way to pass the tradition on.

For the community background, see Hindus in Malaysia 2026; for the month that ends on 8 December, Karthika Masam 2026 in Malaysia.

December 2026 Hindu festivals in Malaysia: frequently asked questions

What are the December 2026 Hindu festivals in Malaysia?

Using India dates: Kalabhairav Jayanti (Tue 1 Dec), Utpanna Ekadashi (Fri 4 Dec), Masik Shivaratri (Mon 7 Dec), Subrahmanya Shashti (Tue 15 Dec), Margazhi from Wed 16 Dec, Vaikunta Ekadasi and Gita Jayanti (Sun 20 Dec), Datta Jayanti (Wed 23 Dec), Arudra Darshan (Thu 24 Dec) and Mandala Pooja (Sun 27 Dec). In Malaysia any of these may fall a day earlier or later, so check your local temple.

When does Margazhi 2026 begin in Malaysia?

Drik Panchang gives Dhanu Sankranti, which begins Margazhi, on Wednesday 16 December 2026 for India. Malaysian Tamil calendars normally begin the month around the same day; follow your temple's calendar for the first dawn bhajan.

Why does the Kuala Lumpur column show Amavasya on 9 December?

Kuala Lumpur is two and a half hours ahead of India, so its sunrise on 9 December comes before the Amavasya ends at 6:21 AM IST. In Hyderabad the sun rises after that, so India's calendar shows Pratipada.

When is Vaikunta Ekadasi 2026 in Malaysia?

Sunday 20 December 2026 in India, and HinduTone's calculator shows Ekadashi at Kuala Lumpur's sunrise that day too. Confirm the fast and the temple programme with your Perumal temple.

When is Arudra Darshan 2026?

Drik Panchang lists Arudra Darshan on Thursday 24 December 2026 for India. It depends on the Thiruvathirai nakshatra, so Malaysian Shiva temples may announce their own day; please check with them.

Should Malaysian families fast by Indian time?

No. Use local sunrise and sunset in your own town. This page never converts India's tithi times to Malaysian time; the tithi at Kuala Lumpur's sunrise is shown instead.

Editor's note (9 October 2026)

Written on 9 October 2026. Daily India data and observances are from Drik Panchang (Hyderabad). Kuala Lumpur sunrise and sunrise tithi were computed with HinduTone's calculator, validated against Drik Panchang (tithi at sunrise identical on every checked date, sunrise within about a minute). Malaysia has no country entry in our Drik festival data for December. India's tithi-ending times are never converted to Malaysia time here. Panchang calculations abroad depend on the city and on each tradition's rules, so this page is a planning guide, not a ritual authority: confirm every festival day with your temple or priest. We will update this page if Drik Panchang revises any December 2026 date.