Navratri Parana 2026: When to Break the Navratri Fast

Quick answer: Drik Panchang lists the Sharad Navratri parana, the formal breaking of the nine-day fast, on Tuesday 20 October 2026, which is also Dussehra. In India the Navami tithi ends at 12:50 PM IST that day, and Drik's Durga Visarjan muhurat, which it says can be used for the parana, is 1:14 PM to 3:30 PM in New Delhi and 12:50 PM to 2:49 PM in Kolkata. In the USA and Canada the window is on Tuesday morning after sunrise; in the UK the parana is also Tuesday, with Durga Visarjan on Wednesday 21 October.

Last updated: 18 October 2026. Family and regional customs differ, so follow your family or priest where they give a different time.

Parana (पारण) means the formal completion of a vrat, when the fast is broken in the prescribed way. This guide explains when the 2026 Navratri fast ends, gives local times for India and twenty cities abroad, and sets out the common customs, a simple parana vidhi and a gentle first meal. For the full festival, see our Navaratri 2026 dates and nine Devi forms guide.

Navratri parana 2026 date: Tuesday 20 October

Sharad Navratri 2026 runs from Ghatasthapana on Sunday 11 October to Navami on Monday 19 October. In India the Navami tithi runs from 10:51 AM IST on Monday 19 October to 12:50 PM IST on Tuesday 20 October, after which Dashami begins (Drik Panchang). Drik's Navratri calendar for New Delhi lists Navami Homa, Navratri Parana, Durga Visarjan and Vijayadashami all on Tuesday 20 October.

Drik's Durga Visarjan page adds a practical note: many people break the nine-day Navratri fast after Durga Visarjan, so the Durga Visarjan timing can also be used for the Navratri parana. That is why the tables below give Drik's Visarjan muhurat for each city as the parana window.

Because Navami lasts until 12:50 PM in India, Drik places the Visarjan muhurat in the afternoon this year. Drik explains that the muhurat is usually in the morning, but when Dashami and Shravana nakshatra both prevail in the afternoon (Aparahna), the afternoon is preferred.

Navratri parana time in India

City	Navami ends	Durga Visarjan / parana window (Drik)
New Delhi	12:50 PM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 1:14 PM to 3:30 PM
Mumbai	12:50 PM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 1:33 PM to 3:53 PM
Hyderabad	12:50 PM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 1:11 PM to 3:31 PM
Kolkata	12:50 PM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 12:50 PM to 2:49 PM

Times are in IST from Drik Panchang's Maha Navami and Durga Visarjan pages for each city, fetched on 18 October 2026. The tithi ends at the same instant everywhere in India; the Visarjan window differs because it follows local sunrise and the afternoon period. Bengal follows its own panjika, with Bijoya Dashami and the Bengal Durga Visarjan on Wednesday 21 October; see our Durga Visarjan 2026 guide.

Navratri parana time in the USA, Canada and the UK

City (time zone)	Navami ends (local)	Durga Visarjan / parana window (Drik)
New York (ET)	3:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 7:13 AM to 9:24 AM
Edison NJ (ET)	3:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 7:14 AM to 9:25 AM
Washington DC (ET)	3:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 7:23 AM to 9:35 AM
Atlanta (ET)	3:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 7:47 AM to 10:01 AM
Chicago (CT)	2:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 7:09 AM to 9:19 AM
Houston (CT)	2:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 7:27 AM to 9:42 AM
Dallas (CT)	2:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 7:35 AM to 9:50 AM
San Francisco (PT)	12:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 7:23 AM to 9:36 AM
Los Angeles (PT)	12:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 7:02 AM to 9:16 AM
Seattle (PT)	12:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 7:36 AM to 9:43 AM
Toronto (ET)	3:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 7:38 AM to 9:48 AM
Brampton (ET)	3:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 7:40 AM to 9:49 AM
Montreal (ET)	3:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 7:17 AM to 9:26 AM
Calgary (MT)	1:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 8:09 AM to 10:13 AM
Edmonton (MT)	1:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 8:11 AM to 10:14 AM
Vancouver (PT)	12:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Tue 20 Oct, 7:42 AM to 9:48 AM
London (BST)	8:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Wed 21 Oct, 7:35 AM to 9:39 AM
Leicester (BST)	8:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Wed 21 Oct, 7:41 AM to 9:41 AM
Birmingham (BST)	8:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Wed 21 Oct, 7:44 AM to 9:41 AM
Manchester (BST)	8:20 AM Tue 20 Oct	Wed 21 Oct, 7:47 AM to 9:41 AM

Times are local, from Drik Panchang's Maha Navami and Durga Visarjan pages for each city, fetched on 18 October 2026. Drik's Maha Navami page lists "Ashwina Navratri Parana on Tuesday, October 20, 2026" for every one of these cities. Do not convert India's times to your own clock; use your city's row.

USA and Canada: Navami ends in the small hours of Tuesday (or just after midnight on the West Coast), and Dashami is running at sunrise, so the Visarjan and parana window is on Tuesday morning, roughly from sunrise for about two hours. A quick parana before work or school is easy to fit in.
UK: Navami ends at 8:20 AM BST on Tuesday, after sunrise, so Dashami first prevails at sunrise on Wednesday. Drik lists the parana on Tuesday, but places Durga Visarjan on Wednesday 21 October. Families who break the fast once Navami has ended can do so on Tuesday after 8:20 AM; families who wait for the Visarjan break it on Wednesday morning.

Country guides with Navami times: Maha Navami 2026 in the USA, in Canada and in the UK. For India's Navami, see Maha Navami 2026.

Three family customs for ending the Navratri fast

There is no single rule across India. Families commonly follow one of these, and each is valid within its own tradition:

Ashtami-only fast: kept on Durga Ashtami alone and broken after the Ashtami puja and Kanya Pujan (Monday 19 October in India, Sunday 18 October in North America and the UK). See our Durga Ashtami USA guide for the abroad date.
Ending on Navami: many North Indian families who keep the full nine days end the fast after the Navami puja, havan and Kanya Pujan on Monday 19 October, eating the Kanya Pujan prasad first.
Dashami parana: others complete the vrat on Dashami, Tuesday 20 October, after Navami has ended, often after the kalash visarjan, using the windows above.

If your family has a custom, keep it. If you are starting the practice yourself, the Dashami parana in Drik's window is a simple choice. See our Kanya Pujan 2026 guide for the Navami custom.

A simple Navratri parana vidhi

Bathe, wear clean clothes and light a lamp at your Navratri altar or kalash.
Offer a final puja and aarti to Maa Durga, with flowers, akshat and naivedya, and thank her for the nine days.
If you installed a kalash and sowed jaware (barley sprouts), close the puja as your family does: sprinkle the kalash water around the home or pour it at the root of a plant, and share the sprouts as prasad.
Take a little prasad first, such as the halwa from the Kanya Pujan prasad recipe, fruit or kheer, before your first meal.
Touch the feet of elders for their blessings, and give food or a donation if that is your family custom.

A short prayer is enough. Many families simply chant "Jai Mata Di" or a Durga mantra they have used during the nine days. After the parana, Dussehra rites such as Aparajita and Shami puja follow; see our Vijayadashami 2026 mantras and puja vidhi and Dussehra 2026 date and Vijay Muhurat.

What to eat first after a nine-day fast

After days of fruit, milk or vrat food, the stomach needs a gentle restart. A sensible order:

First: water, coconut water or buttermilk, and a fruit such as banana or papaya.
Then: a small portion of prasad, kheer or the Kanya Pujan halwa.
First meal: light, home-cooked sattvic food, such as moong dal khichdi with ghee, dal and rice, or roti with a simple sabzi and curd. Many families keep the first meal free of onion and garlic.
Go slowly: avoid a heavy fried feast, very spicy food or large amounts of sweets in the first meal, and drink enough water through the day.

Still on vrat food for Navami? Our sabudana khichdi recipe and Navratri fasting rules cover what is usually allowed.

Health note: pregnant or breastfeeding women, people with diabetes, low blood pressure, kidney or heart conditions, older relatives and children should talk to their doctor before and after a long fast, and people on medication should ask whether timings need to change. If you feel dizzy, faint or unwell during a fast, break it and eat. Devotion never requires harming your health.

If you could not fast this Navratri

Fasting is one way to keep Navratri, not the only one. Daily puja, japa, reading the Devi Mahatmya, Kanya Pujan and feeding others are all complete forms of devotion. See our Navratri without fasting guide. The next major fast is Papankusha Ekadashi on Thursday 22 October in India; see our Papankusha Ekadashi 2026 guide for its own parana.

Frequently asked questions

When is Navratri parana in 2026?

Drik Panchang lists the Sharad Navratri parana on Tuesday 20 October 2026, the day of Dussehra, in India and in the USA, Canada and the UK.

What time should I break the Navratri fast in India?

In India the Navami tithi ends at 12:50 PM IST on Tuesday 20 October. Drik Panchang's Durga Visarjan muhurat, which it says can also be used for the parana, is 1:14 PM to 3:30 PM in New Delhi, 1:33 PM to 3:53 PM in Mumbai, 1:11 PM to 3:31 PM in Hyderabad and 12:50 PM to 2:49 PM in Kolkata.

What time should I break the Navratri fast in the USA or Canada?

Navami ends in the early hours of Tuesday 20 October, and Drik's Durga Visarjan muhurat follows sunrise: for example 7:13 AM to 9:24 AM in New York, 7:02 AM to 9:16 AM in Los Angeles and 7:38 AM to 9:48 AM in Toronto.

What about the UK?

Drik lists the parana on Tuesday 20 October for London, Leicester, Birmingham and Manchester, where Navami ends at 8:20 AM BST. Drik's UK Durga Visarjan muhurat falls on Wednesday 21 October, about 7:35 AM to 9:39 AM in London, so families who end the fast only after the Visarjan wait until then.

Can I break the fast on Navami evening?

Many families do. Some end the nine-day fast after the Navami havan and Kanya Pujan on Monday 19 October; others wait for the Dashami parana. Follow your family custom.

What should I eat first after the Navratri fast?

Start gently: water or coconut water, a fruit, or a little prasad such as halwa or kheer, then a light, home-cooked sattvic meal such as moong dal khichdi or dal and rice. Avoid a heavy fried feast straight away.

Is it wrong if I could not fast for all nine days?

No. Fasting is a personal vow, and devotion does not depend on it. Anyone whose health does not allow fasting can keep Navratri through puja, japa and seva instead.

Editor's note (18 October 2026)

Parana dates and Visarjan windows are from Drik Panchang's Maha Navami, Durga Visarjan and Navratri calendar pages for each listed city, checked on 18 October 2026, and agree with our own panchang data. We give Drik's Visarjan muhurat as the parana window because Drik states that it can be used for the Navratri parana. Family customs for ending the fast differ, and nothing here is medical advice.