Kharmas 2026 begins on Wednesday 16 December 2026 at 10:25 IST, when the Sun enters sidereal Sagittarius (Dhanu), and ends on Thursday 14 January 2027 at 21:10 IST, when the Sun moves into Capricorn. Because our muhurat calendar checks at sunrise, wedding and griha pravesh dates are closed from 17 December 2026 to 14 January 2027, and the first wedding date after it is Friday 15 January 2027.
That is the short answer. Below is what kharmas is, what tradition pauses during it and what it leaves alone, why the blocked days are one day later than the start time suggests, and the second kharmas of 2027 in March and April.
What kharmas is
Kharmas (also called malmas) is the solar month in which the Sun travels through Sagittarius or Pisces, the two signs ruled by Jupiter. Tradition reads this as a time when the Sun is in the house of the guru, so the month is given to worship, charity and inner work, and new household beginnings are put off until the Sun moves on.
It happens twice a year:
| Kharmas | Sun enters | Sun leaves | Blocked in our muhurat calendar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dhanu kharmas 2026–27 | 16 Dec 2026, 10:25 (Sagittarius) | 14 Jan 2027, 21:10 (into Capricorn) | 17 Dec 2026 – 14 Jan 2027 |
| Meen kharmas 2027 | 15 Mar 2027, 07:00 (Pisces) | 14 Apr 2027, 15:28 (into Aries) | 16 Mar – 14 Apr 2027 |
| Dhanu kharmas 2027–28 | 16 Dec 2027, 16:38 | 15 Jan 2028, 03:24 | from 17 Dec 2027 |
All times are IST, sidereal zodiac with Lahiri ayanamsa, from our own engine. The kharmas 2026 page and kharmas 2027 page show the same periods.
The end of the Dhanu kharmas is the same moment as Makar Sankranti. In 2027 the Sun reaches Capricorn at 21:10 on 14 January, after sunset, so the festival itself is kept on Friday 15 January 2027. Our Makar Sankranti page and the post on Makar Sankranti 2027, 14 or 15 explain that rule.
Why the blocked days start on 17 December
The Sun enters Sagittarius at 10:25 on 16 December. That is mid-morning, after sunrise everywhere in India. Our muhurat calendar decides whether a day is open or closed by looking at the sky at that day's sunrise, the same way a panchang assigns a tithi to a day. At sunrise on 16 December the Sun is still in Scorpio, so kharmas does not close that day; from 17 December it does.
At the other end, at sunrise on 14 January the Sun is still in Sagittarius (it only leaves at 21:10), so 14 January stays closed and 15 January is the first free day.
Other almanacs sometimes write "kharmas 16 December to 14 January" or "15 December to 14 January". The ingress moment is the fact; whether the edge days are counted is a convention. We show the moment and our convention side by side so you can see both.
What tradition puts off during kharmas
The common practice in North Indian households is to avoid starting the big samskaras and household beginnings in kharmas. In our muhurat rules, kharmas closes these purposes:
- Vivah (weddings)
- Griha pravesh (moving into a new house)
- Bhoomi pujan (foundation and start of construction)
- Karnavedha (ear piercing)
Mundan is also closed in this season, though by its own rule: its classical solar months are Capricorn, Aquarius, Aries, Taurus and Gemini, so neither Sagittarius nor Pisces qualifies.
What goes on as usual
Kharmas is not an inauspicious month for life in general. Daily worship, japa, reading of scripture, charity, temple visits and festivals all continue, and many people make this the month for them. Vivah Panchami on 14 December 2026 falls just before it begins.
In our muhurat rules these purposes are not blocked by kharmas (only by adhik maas, and there is none in this period):
- vehicle purchase
- namkaran (naming ceremony)
- business opening
- property purchase
- travel
- annaprashan
- vidyarambh (start of learning)
Families differ here. Some prefer to wait for any new beginning, others follow only the wedding rule. If your family priest says otherwise, that is a valid local practice; our rules are written down on how we calculate muhurat so you can compare.
Last wedding dates before kharmas, first after
Chaturmas ends with Dev Uthani Ekadashi on 20 November 2026, so the end-of-year season is short. Our New Delhi calendar has:
| Month | Vivah dates |
|---|---|
| November 2026 | 21, 24, 25, 26, 30 |
| December 2026 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12 |
| 17 Dec 2026 – 14 Jan 2027 | none (kharmas) |
| January 2027 | 15, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 |
So the last wedding date of 2026 is Saturday 12 December, and the season restarts on Friday 15 January 2027. Each day's exact time window is on the month page. Our post on vivah muhurat 2027 has the whole of next year.
The March–April kharmas in 2027
The Sun enters Pisces on 15 March 2027 at 07:00 and leaves for Aries on 14 April 2027 at 15:28. On our calendar the last March wedding dates are 14 and 15 March, nothing is open from 16 March to 14 April, and the first April date is 16 April. The Holashtak days before Holi (16 to 21 March 2027) fall inside this period too.
A calm way to plan around it
Kharmas is predictable to the minute years in advance, which makes it easy to plan around. If a wedding has to happen this winter, 2 to 12 December 2026 and the second half of January 2027 are the windows. If a house move can wait, mid-January opens again. For anything not on the blocked list, kharmas need not change your plans at all. For the day's tithi, sunrise and Rahu kaal in your own city, the panchang has every day.
Try it yourself
Open the free muhurat tool to see open days for weddings, griha pravesh and other occasions, with the reason any day is closed. The December 2026 vivah page and the January 2027 vivah page show the time windows on each side of kharmas, and the festivals calendar lists Makar Sankranti and Lohri.