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

Diwali 2026 in Panama centres on Lakshmi Puja on Sunday 8 November 2026. In Panama City the Lakshmi Puja muhurat is 6:20 PM to 8:21 PM local time (UTC-5). The festival opens with Dhanteras on Friday 6 November and closes with Bhai Dooj on Tuesday 10 November. Every Panamanian city we checked keeps the same five dates; only the evening clock times move 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 Panama

These are the five days of Diwali for Panama City. The dates are the same in Colón, David, La Chorrera, San Miguelito 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 Panama from Sun 8 Nov, 12:57 AM → Mon 9 Nov, 2:01 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); Panama is ten and a half hours behind India, which is why the local clock times look so different.

Lakshmi Puja is set on the evening when Amavasya is current during Pradosh Kaal. In Panama that is the evening of Sunday 8 November, which is why all the local dates above follow from it.

Diwali 2026 timings for cities in Panama

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-5).

San Miguelito, Juan Díaz, Las Cumbres and Pedregal share Panama City's times exactly. Colón, Arraiján and La Chorrera are one minute later. David, in Chiriquí province near the Costa Rican border, is the furthest west of the cities listed, so sunset there comes at 6:06 PM and its muhurat runs from 6:33 PM to 8:33 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 Panama City, sunset on Sunday 8 November is at 5:54 PM, and Pradosh Kaal runs from 5:54 PM to 8:21 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 Panama City this year the overlap is 6:20 PM to 8:21 PM.

In practice: have the puja space ready and the family bathed and dressed before sunset, light the first diyas at around 5:54 PM, and begin the main Lakshmi-Ganesha puja after 6:20 PM, completing it before 8:21 PM. If something delays you, any time within Pradosh Kaal is still acceptable. Amavasya continues until 2:01 AM on Monday 9 November in Panama, so the lamps can keep burning through 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 Panama for Diwali

Panama has one of the larger communities of Indian origin in Latin America, but it is still small, and there are only a handful of Hindu places of worship. The places below are the ones we could confirm through reliable listings and press reports. We have not included timings or addresses; contact each place directly before you visit.

Panama City

• Hindu Temple of Panama (Templo Hindú), Tumba Muerto area. Founded in the 1980s on a hilltop overlooking the city, and associated with the Hindustani Society of Panama. It is the main temple for the community and a well-known place of quiet in the capital; visitors are asked to dress modestly.
• ISKCON Panama, Panama City. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Hare Krishna movement) lists a centre in the city, and a Namahatta group in the Pacific Hills area.
• Embassy of India in Panama, Panama City. Not a temple, but the embassy often supports Indian cultural events and can point newcomers towards community associations.

Colón

• Hindustani Society of Colón. Community listings name this society among Panama's main Hindu associations, reflecting the long Indian presence in Colón and its Free Zone. We could not find its own website, so ask within the community about Diwali gatherings.

Outside Panama City and Colón, including David, Chiriquí and the interior provinces, we could not confirm any Hindu temple. Families there usually celebrate at home, sometimes travelling to the capital for a temple visit on the weekend.

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 with aarti, bhajans, a shared vegetarian meal and, around Govardhan Puja, an Annakut offering of many dishes.

How Diwali is celebrated in Panama

The building of the Panama Canal and the trade that followed drew Indian migrants to the isthmus, and merchant families, many of them Sindhi and Gujarati, went on to build businesses in Panama City and in the Colón Free Zone, which Indian traders helped to found. Estimates of the community vary from around 15,000 upwards, and most families are Hindu. Locally the community is often called "indostanos".

Diwali here is mainly a family and community festival. Homes are cleaned, decorated with rangoli and lit with diyas and fairy lights. Families perform Lakshmi Puja at home or at the temple, share sweets and dry fruits with relatives and friends, and many businesses mark the new financial year with a Chopda Pujan, worship of the account books, which is especially important for the Gujarati and Sindhi trading families. The Indian community also holds a larger public Festival of India in some years, with parades and cultural shows, and Panamanian friends and neighbours increasingly join in.

Sikhs in Panama 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

If you cannot reach a temple, a simple puja at home 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 (Ganesha on Lakshmi's left as you face them), 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", read or recite the Lakshmi stotram or 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.

Many families keep one lamp burning through the night. For dishes to make for the offering and the meal, see our Diwali recipes guide.

Practical tips for Diwali 2026 in Panama

• 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 confirm, a public holiday in Panama. Early November is a busy time for Panama's own patriotic holidays, so check the official 2026 holiday list and plan any leave in good time.
• Weather and sunset: November usually falls in the rainy season, with heavy evening showers common. Sunset is early, at 5:54 PM in Panama City, so plan to arrive at the temple or finish cooking before then, and keep outdoor diyas sheltered from rain and wind.
• 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 to perform a puja for your family, at the temple or at home, ask early. With few priests in the country, the Diwali weekend books up quickly.
• Calling India: India is ten and a half hours ahead. By the time your Lakshmi Puja starts on Sunday evening, it will already be Monday morning in India.

Diwali 2026 in Panama: FAQ

When is Diwali 2026 in Panama?

The main day, Lakshmi Puja, is Sunday 8 November 2026 in every Panamanian 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 Panama City?

In Panama City the Lakshmi Puja muhurat is 6:20 PM to 8:21 PM on Sunday 8 November 2026, Panama time (UTC-5). This is the Vrishabha (Taurus) lagna inside Pradosh Kaal, which runs from sunset at 5:54 PM to 8:21 PM.

Is there a Hindu temple in Panama?

Yes. The best known is the Hindu Temple of Panama (Templo Hindú) on a hilltop in the Tumba Muerto area of Panama City, associated with the Hindustani Society of Panama. ISKCON Panama also has a centre in Panama City, and community listings record a Hindustani Society in Colón.

Is Diwali a public holiday in Panama?

We could not confirm Diwali on Panama's official list of national holidays, and it is not normally a public holiday there. 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 Panamanian cities?

The whole country uses one time zone (UTC-5), and the muhurat is almost the same everywhere. Panama City is 6:20 PM to 8:21 PM, Colón and La Chorrera 6:21 PM to 8:22 PM, and David in Chiriquí a little later at 6:33 PM to 8:33 PM. Use the line for your own city in the table above.

Can I light diyas and fireworks in Panama 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 Colombia
• Diwali 2026 in Mexico
• Diwali 2026 in Jamaica