Kartika Purnima 2026 — Tuesday, 24 November 2026

About this day

Kartika Purnima ends the holiest month of the year for many: people bathe in the Ganga and other rivers, and Varanasi lights its ghats with lamps for Dev Deepawali. It is also Tripurari Purnima, for Shiva’s victory over Tripurasura, and Guru Nanak’s Prakash Purab is kept on this full moon.

How Purnima is kept

• 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.

Purnima: the full guide and every date

Questions people ask