Diwali 2026 in Costa Rica: Dates, Lakshmi Puja Muhurat and Hindu Temples

Diwali 2026 in Costa Rica centres on Lakshmi Puja on Sunday 8 November 2026. In San José the Lakshmi Puja muhurat is 5:37 PM to 7:39 PM local time (UTC-6). The festival opens with Dhanteras on Friday 6 November and closes with Bhai Dooj on Tuesday 10 November. Every Costa Rican city we checked keeps the same five dates; only the evening clock times shift by a few minutes with sunset.

Editor's note (1 November 2026): HinduTone calculated these local dates from Drik Panchang tithi times using Drik's own rules for each festival day, and we checked our method against Drik's published dates for 15 countries. The Lakshmi Puja muhurat is the Vrishabha (Taurus) lagna that falls within Pradosh Kaal, following the Drik method. We do not list event schedules, because temples and community groups set their own programmes each year.

Diwali 2026 dates in Costa Rica

These are the five days of Diwali for San José. The dates are the same in Alajuela, Cartago province, Limón, Liberia, Puntarenas and the other cities below.

For the background to each day, see our guide to the 5 days of Diwali explained. The new moon (Amavasya) runs in Costa Rica from Sat 7 Nov, 11:57 PM → Mon 9 Nov, 1:01 AM local time, so the whole Lakshmi Puja evening on Sunday sits inside Amavasya. In Indian Standard Time, Amavasya begins at 11:27 AM on 8 November and ends at 12:31 PM on 9 November (IST). Costa Rica is many hours behind India, which is why the local clock times look so different from the Indian ones.

Lakshmi Puja is set on the evening when Amavasya is current during Pradosh Kaal. In Costa Rica that is the evening of Sunday 8 November, and the other four days follow from it.

Diwali 2026 timings for cities in Costa Rica

The five dates are identical across the country. The Lakshmi Puja muhurat below is for the evening of Sunday 8 November, in local time (UTC-6).

The towns of the Central Valley, San José, Curridabat, San Francisco in Heredia, Alajuela and Paraíso near Cartago, are within a minute or two of each other. Limón, on the Caribbean coast, has the earliest sunset at 5:07 PM. Liberia, in Guanacaste in the north-west, has the latest at 5:16 PM, so its muhurat runs from 5:42 PM to 7:43 PM. If your town is not listed, use the nearest city.

Lakshmi Puja muhurat explained

Two windows of time matter on Diwali evening. The first is Pradosh Kaal, the period of roughly two and a half hours that begins at sunset. Lakshmi Puja is meant to be performed in Pradosh Kaal while Amavasya is current. In San José, sunset on Sunday 8 November is at 5:11 PM, and Pradosh Kaal runs from 5:11 PM to 7:39 PM.

The second is the Vrishabha (Taurus) lagna, the time when the fixed sign Taurus is rising in the east. Vrishabha is a sthira (fixed) lagna, and tradition holds that Lakshmi worshipped in a fixed lagna stays in the home. Where Vrishabha overlaps Pradosh Kaal, that overlap is the most auspicious muhurat. In San José this year the overlap is 5:37 PM to 7:39 PM.

In practice: have the puja space ready and the family bathed and dressed before sunset, light the first diyas at around 5:11 PM, and begin the main Lakshmi-Ganesha puja after 5:37 PM, completing it before 7:39 PM. If something delays you, any time within Pradosh Kaal is still acceptable. Amavasya continues until 1:01 AM on Monday 9 November in Costa Rica, so the lamps can keep burning late into the night.

For India's timings and a fuller explanation of how the muhurat works, see our main Diwali 2026 date and Lakshmi Puja muhurat guide.

Hindu temples in Costa Rica for Diwali

Costa Rica's Hindu community is small, and we could not confirm a traditional mandir with resident priests of the kind found in larger diaspora countries. The places below are the ones we could verify through ISKCON's own news service, temple directories and Indian government briefs. We have not included timings or addresses; contact each place directly before you visit.

San José

• ISKCON Costa Rica (Sri Sri Nitai Gaurasundara), San José. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Hare Krishna movement) has a temple in the capital, profiled by ISKCON News. Its location has moved within San José over the years, so check its current address on its social pages.
• Costa Rica India Association (CRIA), San José area. Not a temple, but the main community body for Indians in Costa Rica since 2010, active in cultural programmes. In recent years it has been involved in Diwali gatherings, so it is the best first contact for newcomers.

Cartago

• Nueva Goloka Vrindavana (ISKCON), Cartago area. A Hare Krishna community listed in ISKCON temple directories, on the Cartago-Paraíso side of the Central Valley. Confirm that it is open to visitors before travelling.

Outside the Central Valley, including Limón, Puntarenas, Liberia and San Isidro, we could not confirm any Hindu temple. Families there usually celebrate at home, sometimes travelling to San José for a temple visit at the weekend. India announced in 2026 that it is opening a resident embassy in Costa Rica; until now the country was covered from the Embassy of India in Panama, which can also point you towards community contacts.

Temples and community groups usually announce Diwali programmes a few weeks ahead; check their websites and social pages. Such programmes typically include a Lakshmi Puja or Govardhan Puja with aarti, kirtan or bhajans, a shared vegetarian meal and, at ISKCON centres, an Annakut offering of many dishes to Krishna.

How Diwali is celebrated in Costa Rica

Unlike Trinidad, Guyana or Suriname, Costa Rica has no history of indentured migration from India. Its Indian community is recent and small, made up mainly of professionals in technology, medical devices and services, business families, students and their children, along with Costa Ricans who have come to Hinduism through yoga or the Hare Krishna movement. Diwali here is therefore a quiet, close-knit festival rather than a public spectacle.

At home, families clean and decorate the house, draw rangoli at the entrance, light diyas and fairy lights, and perform Lakshmi Puja in the evening. Sweets and small gifts are shared with friends, and many Costa Rican colleagues and neighbours are invited in. Community gatherings, often held on the nearest weekend, bring together families from many Indian states with food, music and dance, and the Hare Krishna temples mark the season with kirtan and Govardhan Puja.

Sikh families mark Bandi Chhor Divas on the same day, remembering Guru Hargobind's release from Gwalior fort, and Jain families observe Diwali as the day of Lord Mahavira's nirvana. Everyone is welcome at community events, whichever tradition they follow.

Simple Lakshmi Puja at home

With few temples in the country, most Hindus in Costa Rica perform Lakshmi Puja at home, and a simple home puja is complete in itself. A short outline:

• Clean the house, especially the entrance and puja area, during the day. Draw a rangoli at the door and place a diya on each side.
• Before sunset, set up a raised platform with a red or yellow cloth. Place images or murtis of Lakshmi and Ganesha, a kalash of water topped with mango leaves and a coconut, and a plate of rice grains.
• Arrange offerings: flowers, haldi-kumkum, akshat (unbroken rice), sweets, fruit, a few coins or a piece of jewellery, and any account books or a laptop for those who keep business accounts.
• Within the muhurat, light the main ghee lamp, invoke Ganesha first, then Lakshmi. Offer each item with a simple mantra such as "Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah", recite the Lakshmi Ashtakam if you know it, and perform aarti.
• Light diyas throughout the house and at the doorway, share prasad with the family and call relatives, especially elders, to seek their blessings.

Mango leaves, coconuts, flowers and fruit are easy to find in Costa Rican markets; Indian sweets and puja items are harder, so many families make their own. For ideas, see our Diwali recipes guide.

Practical tips for Diwali 2026 in Costa Rica

• Weekdays: Dhanteras is a Friday, Naraka Chaturdashi a Saturday and Lakshmi Puja a Sunday, so the main days fall over the weekend. Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj are on Monday and Tuesday, ordinary working days.
• Holidays: Diwali is not, as far as we could find, a public holiday in Costa Rica. Check the official 2026 holiday list and plan any leave in good time.
• Weather and sunset: Early November is usually the tail end of the rainy season in the Central Valley and the Pacific side, with afternoon showers still common, while the Caribbean coast around Limón can be wet at this time of year. Sunset is early, at 5:11 PM in San José, so keep outdoor diyas sheltered and start preparations in good time.
• Fireworks: Rules on fireworks are set by the authorities and can change. Check the current national and municipal rules before buying any, and see our green crackers guide for lower-smoke options.
• Temple pujas: If you want a priest or devotee to lead a puja for your family, ask early. With very few in the country, the Diwali weekend fills up quickly, and some families arrange an online puja with a priest abroad instead.
• Calling India: By the time your Lakshmi Puja starts on Sunday evening in Costa Rica, it will already be Monday morning in India, so call family there before your puja or the next day.

Diwali 2026 in Costa Rica: FAQ

When is Diwali 2026 in Costa Rica?

The main day, Lakshmi Puja, is Sunday 8 November 2026 in every Costa Rican city we checked. Dhanteras is on Friday 6 November, Naraka Chaturdashi on Saturday 7 November, Govardhan Puja on Monday 9 November and Bhai Dooj on Tuesday 10 November.

What is the Lakshmi Puja muhurat in San José?

In San José the Lakshmi Puja muhurat is 5:37 PM to 7:39 PM on Sunday 8 November 2026, Costa Rica time (UTC-6). This is the Vrishabha (Taurus) lagna inside Pradosh Kaal, which runs from sunset at 5:11 PM to 7:39 PM.

Is there a Hindu temple in Costa Rica?

There is no large traditional mandir that we could confirm. The places of Hindu worship we could verify are both run by ISKCON (the Hare Krishna movement): a temple in San José and the Nueva Goloka Vrindavana community near Cartago. The Costa Rica India Association is the main Indian community body.

Is Diwali a public holiday in Costa Rica?

Diwali is not, as far as we could find, a public holiday in Costa Rica. Check the official 2026 holiday list and your employer's policy. Lakshmi Puja falls on a Sunday this year, which makes the evening puja easier for most families.

Do the timings differ between Costa Rican cities?

The whole country uses one time zone (UTC-6), and the muhurat differs by only a few minutes. San José is 5:37 PM to 7:39 PM, Limón is earliest at 5:33 PM to 7:34 PM, and Liberia in Guanacaste is latest at 5:42 PM to 7:43 PM. Use the line for your own city in the table above.

Can I light diyas and fireworks in Costa Rica for Diwali?

Diyas and candles at home are fine with sensible fire safety. Fireworks are regulated by the authorities, and rules on sale and use can change, so check the current national and municipal rules before buying any.

Related guides

• Diwali 2026 dates in every country with Lakshmi Puja times
• Diwali 2026: all our festival guides
• Diwali 2026 date and Lakshmi Puja muhurat (India)
• Diwali 2026 in the USA: Lakshmi Puja muhurat city by city
• Dhanteras 2026
• Govardhan Puja and Annakut 2026
• Bhai Dooj 2026
• Diwali 2026 in Panama
• Diwali 2026 in Mexico
• Diwali 2026 in Colombia