Tired of Googling festival dates every year? Whether it’s Diwali, Eid, Holi, Christmas, Gurpurab, or Mahavir Jayanti, Indian festivals follow a mix of lunar and solar calendars—causing date changes every year. Our Indian Festival Date Finder gives you accurate festival dates across religions from 2024 to 2027. Plan ahead for school holidays, travel, and family celebrations—all in one place!

How to Find Festival Dates

Finding the date for a major Indian festival is a simple two-step process:

1. Select the Festival: Choose a festival like Diwali, Holi, or Dussehra from the first dropdown menu.
2. Select the Year: Choose the year you want to check from the second dropdown menu.
3. View the Date: The exact date and day of the week will be displayed instantly.

Why Do Indian Festival Dates Change Every Year?

Unlike holidays that follow the Gregorian calendar (like Christmas on December 25th), most major Hindu festivals are based on the Hindu Lunisolar Calendar (Panchang). This traditional calendar system is based on the positions of the sun and the moon.

Key Concepts:

• Lunar Months: The months are based on the moon's cycle, which is about 29.5 days long. This makes a lunar year shorter than a solar year.
• Tithi (Lunar Day): Each festival is celebrated on a specific "tithi" or lunar day, which may not align perfectly with a 24-hour Gregorian day.
• Adhik Maas (Extra Month): To keep the calendar aligned with the seasons (which are based on the sun), an extra month is added to the calendar every 2-3 years.

This complex but astronomically precise system is why festival dates "move" each year on the Western calendar.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Are these dates accurate for my city?

Answer: These dates are based on the standard timings for India and are accurate for the vast majority of the country. However, in very rare cases, the exact start time of a "tithi" can cause a one-day difference in celebration in different regions. These dates should be considered highly reliable for planning purposes.

Q2: Why isn't my regional festival on this list?

Answer: This tool focuses on major pan-Indian festivals that are widely celebrated. India has thousands of regional and local festivals, and including all of them would be impractical. We have selected the ones most commonly searched for.

Q3: Why is Makar Sankranti/Pongal always around the same date?

Answer: Makar Sankranti is one of the few Hindu festivals that is based on the solar calendar. It marks the sun's transit into the Makara (Capricorn) zodiac sign, which occurs around January 14th or 15th every year, making it much more predictable on the Gregorian calendar.