Skip to content
School of Vedic Sciences, FORE

Panchang · Festivals and vrats

Festivals and vrats in 2018

Each date is worked out from the lunar day, the Moon’s nakshatra or the Sun’s entry into a sign, by the sunrise of the chosen city. Open a festival to read how its date was fixed.

Dates for Mirzapur · change city

Month names: the rules use the amanta month, which ends at the new moon (as in South and West India). In the dark half of the month North India’s purnimanta calendar has already moved to the next month, so dark-half entries show both names, for example Kamika Ekadashi: Shravana Krishna (purnimanta) = Ashadha Krishna (amanta). Shravan Somvar follows the purnimanta month, as Delhi almanacs print it.

January 2018

February 2018

March 2018

April 2018

May 2018

  • 3 MayThu

    Ekadanta Sankashti Chaturthi

    Fourth day of the dark half; a Ganesha fast broken at moonrise

  • 11 MayFri

    Apara Ekadashi

    Eleventh lunar day; a fast for Vishnu · Jyeshtha Krishna (purnimanta) = Vaishakha Krishna (amanta)

  • 13 MaySun

    Ravi Pradosh (Krishna)

    Thirteenth lunar day; Shiva is worshipped at dusk

  • 13 MaySun

    Masik Shivaratri

    Krishna Chaturdashi, kept at midnight · Jyeshtha (purnimanta) = Vaishakha (amanta)

  • 15 MayTue

    Vat Savitri

    Women's vow at the banyan, on the Amavasya before Jyeshtha in the north.

  • 20 MaySun

    Adhika Skanda Shashthi

    Shukla Shashthi, on the day it joins the tithi before · Adhika Jyeshtha

  • 25 MayFri

    Padmini Ekadashi

    Eleventh lunar day; a fast for Vishnu · Adhika Jyeshtha Shukla

  • 26 MaySat

    Shani Pradosh (Shukla)

    Thirteenth lunar day; Shiva is worshipped at dusk

June 2018

July 2018

August 2018

  • 6 AugMon

    Shravan Somvar

    The Mondays of Shravana as North India counts it (purnimanta), kept for Shiva.

  • 8 AugWed

    Kamika Ekadashi

    Eleventh lunar day; a fast for Vishnu · Shravana Krishna (purnimanta) = Ashadha Krishna (amanta)

  • 9 AugThu

    Guru Pradosh (Krishna)

    Thirteenth lunar day; Shiva is worshipped at dusk

  • 9 AugThu

    Masik Shivaratri

    Krishna Chaturdashi, kept at midnight · Shravana (purnimanta) = Ashadha (amanta)

  • 13 AugMon

    Shravan Somvar

    The Mondays of Shravana as North India counts it (purnimanta), kept for Shiva.

  • 16 AugThu

    Skanda Shashthi

    Shukla Shashthi, on the day it joins the tithi before · Shravana

  • 20 AugMon

    Shravan Somvar

    The Mondays of Shravana as North India counts it (purnimanta), kept for Shiva.

  • 21 AugTue

    Shravana Putrada Ekadashi

    Eleventh lunar day; a fast for Vishnu · Shravana Shukla

  • 23 AugThu

    Guru Pradosh (Shukla)

    Thirteenth lunar day; Shiva is worshipped at dusk

  • 30 AugThu

    Heramba Sankashti Chaturthi

    Fourth day of the dark half; a Ganesha fast broken at moonrise

September 2018

October 2018

  • 5 OctFri

    Indira Ekadashi

    Eleventh lunar day; a fast for Vishnu · Ashwina Krishna (purnimanta) = Bhadrapada Krishna (amanta)

  • 6 OctSat

    Shani Pradosh (Krishna)

    Thirteenth lunar day; Shiva is worshipped at dusk

  • 7 OctSun

    Masik Shivaratri

    Krishna Chaturdashi, kept at midnight · Ashwina (purnimanta) = Bhadrapada (amanta)

  • 14 OctSun

    Skanda Shashthi

    Shukla Shashthi, on the day it joins the tithi before · Ashwina

  • 20 OctSat

    Papankusha Ekadashi

    Eleventh lunar day; a fast for Vishnu · Ashwina Shukla

  • 22 OctMon

    Soma Pradosh (Shukla)

    Thirteenth lunar day; Shiva is worshipped at dusk

  • 27 OctSat

    Karwa Chauth

    Wives' fast from dawn to moonrise on the Chaturthi after Sharad Purnima.

  • 27 OctSat

    Vakratunda Sankashti Chaturthi

    Fourth day of the dark half; a Ganesha fast broken at moonrise

  • 31 OctWed

    Ahoi Ashtami

    Mothers' fast for their children on Kartika Krishna Ashtami (purnimanta), ended at star-rise.

November 2018

  • 3 NovSat

    Rama Ekadashi

    Eleventh lunar day; a fast for Vishnu · Kartika Krishna (purnimanta) = Ashwina Krishna (amanta)

  • 5 NovMon

    Soma Pradosh (Krishna)

    Thirteenth lunar day; Shiva is worshipped at dusk

  • 5 NovMon

    Masik Shivaratri

    Krishna Chaturdashi, kept at midnight · Kartika (purnimanta) = Ashwina (amanta)

  • 13 NovTue

    Skanda Shashthi

    Shukla Shashthi, on the day it joins the tithi before · Kartika

  • 19 NovMon

    Devutthana Ekadashi

    Also: Devutthana (Prabodhini) Ekadashi

    Kartika Shukla Ekadashi, the end of chaturmasa and the reopening of the wedding season.

  • 20 NovTue

    Bhauma Pradosh (Shukla)

    Thirteenth lunar day; Shiva is worshipped at dusk

  • 26 NovMon

    Ganadhipa Sankashti Chaturthi

    Fourth day of the dark half; a Ganesha fast broken at moonrise

December 2018

Plain-language notes are the School’s summaries of common almanac usage, for study. They are not advice.

More from the Panchang