Vrat · 2026
Purnima 2026 — all dates
Purnima, the full-moon day that closes the bright fortnight, is kept with a fast, the Satyanarayan katha and worship of the moon.
Dates in 2026
| Name | Date | Tithi | Vrat (fast) day | Moonrise (vrat day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pausha Purnima | 3 Jan 2026Saturday | 2 Jan, 6:53 PM – 3 Jan, 3:32 PM | — | 5:29 PM |
| Magha Purnima | 1 Feb 2026Sunday | 1 Feb, 5:53 AM – 2 Feb, 3:39 AM | — | 5:26 PM |
| Phalguna Purnima | 3 Mar 2026Tuesday | 2 Mar, 5:56 PM – 3 Mar, 5:07 PM | — | 6:21 PM |
| Chaitra Purnima | 2 Apr 2026Thursday | 1 Apr, 7:06 AM – 2 Apr, 7:42 AM | 1 Apr 2026 | 6:06 PM |
| Vaishakha Purnima | 1 May 2026Friday | 30 Apr, 9:13 PM – 1 May, 10:53 PM | — | 6:48 PM |
| Adhik Jyeshtha Purnima | 31 May 2026Sunday | 30 May, 11:58 AM – 31 May, 2:15 PM | 30 May 2026 | 6:35 PM |
| Jyeshtha Purnima | 29 Jun 2026Monday | 29 Jun, 3:06 AM – 30 Jun, 5:26 AM | — | 7:11 PM |
| Ashadha Purnima | 29 Jul 2026Wednesday | 28 Jul, 6:19 PM – 29 Jul, 8:05 PM | — | 7:16 PM |
| Shravana Purnima | 28 Aug 2026Friday | 27 Aug, 9:09 AM – 28 Aug, 9:48 AM | 27 Aug 2026 | 6:23 PM |
| Bhadrapada Purnima | 26 Sep 2026Saturday | 25 Sep, 11:07 PM – 26 Sep, 10:18 PM | — | 5:53 PM |
| Ashvin Purnima | 26 Oct 2026Monday | 25 Oct, 11:56 AM – 26 Oct, 9:41 AM | 25 Oct 2026 | 4:56 PM |
| Kartika Purnima | 24 Nov 2026Tuesday | 23 Nov, 11:42 PM – 24 Nov, 8:23 PM | — | 4:56 PM |
| Margashirsha Purnima | 23 Dec 2026Wednesday | 23 Dec, 10:47 AM – 24 Dec, 6:58 AM | — | 4:36 PM |
Times for New Delhi (our own calculation, Lahiri ayanamsa). Full festival calendar
Dates in 2027
| Name | Date | Tithi | Vrat (fast) day | Moonrise (vrat day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pausha Purnima | 22 Jan 2027Friday | 21 Jan, 9:30 PM – 22 Jan, 5:47 PM | — | 5:45 PM |
| Magha Purnima | 20 Feb 2027Saturday | 20 Feb, 8:00 AM – 21 Feb, 4:53 AM | — | 5:42 PM |
| Phalguna Purnima | 22 Mar 2027Monday | 21 Mar, 6:21 PM – 22 Mar, 4:13 PM | — | 6:37 PM |
| Chaitra Purnima | 20 Apr 2027Tuesday | 20 Apr, 4:51 AM – 21 Apr, 3:57 AM | — | 6:26 PM |
| Vaishakha Purnima | 20 May 2027Thursday | 19 May, 4:03 PM – 20 May, 4:29 PM | — | 7:18 PM |
| Jyeshtha Purnima | 18 Jun 2027Friday | 18 Jun, 4:35 AM – 19 Jun, 6:14 AM | — | 7:04 PM |
| Ashadha Purnima | 18 Jul 2027Sunday | 17 Jul, 6:48 PM – 18 Jul, 9:14 PM | — | 7:17 PM |
| Shravana Purnima | 17 Aug 2027Tuesday | 16 Aug, 10:29 AM – 17 Aug, 12:58 PM | 16 Aug 2027 | 6:28 PM |
| Bhadrapada Purnima | 15 Sep 2027Wednesday | 15 Sep, 2:48 AM – 16 Sep, 4:33 AM | — | 5:58 PM |
| Ashvin Purnima | 15 Oct 2027Friday | 14 Oct, 6:49 PM – 15 Oct, 7:16 PM | — | 5:28 PM |
| Kartika Purnima | 14 Nov 2027Sunday | 13 Nov, 9:55 AM – 14 Nov, 8:55 AM | 13 Nov 2027 | 4:38 PM |
| Margashirsha Purnima | 13 Dec 2027Monday | 12 Dec, 11:55 PM – 13 Dec, 9:38 PM | — | 5:00 PM |
What is Purnima?
Purnima is the fifteenth tithi of the Shukla paksha, when the moon is full. It comes once a month, and in the purnimanta reckoning used across North India it also closes the lunar month. Each month takes its name from the nakshatra near which the full moon shines — Chaitra from Chitra, Vaishakha from Vishakha, Kartika from Krittika. So every Purnima carries its month’s name, and several are festivals in their own right: Guru Purnima in Ashadha, Raksha Bandhan in Shravana, Sharad Purnima in Ashvin, Kartika Purnima, and Holi in Phalguna.
The full moon has long stood for completeness, calm and plenty. Many households read the Satyanarayan katha on Purnima: the stories of a poor Brahmin, a woodcutter, a merchant and a king who worshipped Vishnu as Satyanarayan. Their lesson is that a promise made in faith should be kept and prasad accepted with humility. Some Purnimas carry a meaning of their own — Guru Purnima honours teachers and the sage Vyasa, and on Sharad Purnima kheer is left out in the moonlight, in the belief that the moon’s rays bless it.
People keep the Purnima vrat as a monthly day of gratitude and quiet. It is a common day for a holy dip in a river, for charity, for visiting a temple or for gathering the family for a katha. Some fast through the day and eat after worshipping the moon in the evening; others simply keep the day sattvic. By tradition it is also considered a good day to begin a vow or a new spiritual practice.
How it is observed
- The vrat is usually kept from sunrise until the moon rises; water (arghya) is offered to the moon and then the fast is broken.
- Satyanarayan puja and katha are held at home or in a temple, usually in the evening, with panchamrit, tulsi, bananas and a prasad of sheera or panjiri made from semolina or wheat flour.
- Food customs vary: some take only fruit and milk during the day, some eat one meal without grains, and many simply avoid onion, garlic and non-vegetarian food.
- A bath in a river or holy tank is a long-standing custom, especially on Kartika, Magha and Vaishakha Purnima; those who cannot travel add a little Ganga water to their bath at home.
- Giving food, clothes or grain, and feeding cows or birds, is widely practised on Purnima.
- If you are pregnant, elderly, diabetic or unwell, a lighter observance serves just as well: eat normally or take fruit and milk, and keep the prayer. Check with your doctor if you are unsure about fasting.
How the date is fixed
Two days can be involved, and the list shows both when they differ. The Purnima day is the day on which Purnima is running at sunrise; if Purnima touches no sunrise, it is the day on which Purnima begins. The Purnima vrat — the fast, the Satyanarayan katha and the moon worship — is kept on the first day on which Purnima prevails at madhyahna, the middle fifth of the daylight hours. Because Purnima often begins before midday, the vrat can fall on the day before the Purnima day itself.
Where practice differs
In the purnimanta calendar of North India Purnima ends the month, while in the amanta calendar of Gujarat, Maharashtra and the South it falls mid-month; the Purnima itself carries the same name in both. In Bengal and Odisha, Ashvin Purnima is Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, and in Odisha small boats are floated on Kartika Purnima. In Tamil Nadu, Chaitra Purnima is kept as Chitra Pournami.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
Why is the Purnima vrat sometimes on the day before Purnima?
The vrat needs Purnima to be running at madhyahna, the middle of the day. When Purnima has already begun by then on the previous day, the vrat is kept on that earlier day, while the Purnima day for bathing and charity is the next day.
What is eaten during the Purnima fast?
Customs differ. Many take fruit, milk and the Satyanarayan prasad during the day and eat a simple meal after offering water to the moon; others eat one meal without grains or just keep the day vegetarian.
Can the Satyanarayan katha be done on any Purnima?
Yes. Purnima is the most common day for it and many families hold it every month; it is also done on other auspicious occasions, such as a housewarming or a birthday.
Which Purnimas are the most important?
Guru Purnima (Ashadha), Shravana Purnima (Raksha Bandhan), Sharad Purnima (Ashvin), Kartika Purnima, Magha Purnima and Phalguna Purnima (Holika Dahan) are the most widely observed, though those who keep the monthly vrat observe every Purnima.