Margashirsha Month 2026: 25 November to 23 December — Full List of Vrats and Festivals
Margashirsha month 2026 runs from Wednesday 25 November to the full moon on Wednesday 23 December. Key dates: Utpanna Ekadashi 4 December, Vivah Panchami 14 December, Gita Jayanti 20 December and Dattatreya Jayanti 23 December.
Margashirsha month 2026 begins on Wednesday, 25 November and runs to the full moon on Wednesday, 23 December, by the Purnimanta (full-moon-ending) calendar used across North India. The big dates: Utpanna Ekadashi on 4 December, Vivah Panchami on 14 December, Mokshada Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti on 20 December, and Dattatreya Jayanti on 23 December. The full list, with tithi timings and the rule behind each date, is below.
Margashirsha is also called Agrahayan, or Aghan in everyday Hindi. In the Purnimanta system a month starts the day after a full moon — Kartik Purnima's tithi ended at 20:23 on 24 November, so Margashirsha's dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) begins on 25 November. All timings here are for Delhi, in 24-hour format.
When does Margashirsha 2026 start and end?
Start: 25 November 2026, Wednesday. At sunrise (06:52) the tithi is Krishna Pratipada, the first day of the dark fortnight, which runs from 24 November 20:23 to 25 November 16:50.
End: 23 December 2026, Wednesday. The Purnima tithi runs from 23 December 10:47 to 24 December 06:58 and does not reach sunrise on 24 December (07:12). So purnima worship and fasting fall on 23 December, and Paush, the next month, begins at sunrise on 24 December. In one line: the month completes on the night of 23 December. The full reasoning is below.
Maharashtra, Gujarat and South India follow the Amanta (new-moon-ending) system, where the month's name changes after the new moon, so there the dark fortnight from 25 November to 8 December is still called Kartik. The bright-fortnight festivals — Vivah Panchami, Gita Jayanti, Dattatreya Jayanti — fall on the same dates in both systems.
Full list of Margashirsha 2026 vrats and festivals
A tithi is a lunar day. It does not change at midnight but with the angle between Moon and Sun, so it can begin at noon or late at night. Each observance has its own rule for which part of the day the tithi must cover; the last column of the table gives that rule.
| Date | Tithi (window) | Vrat / festival | Rule / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 November, Wednesday | Krishna Pratipada (24 Nov 20:23 → 25 Nov 16:50) | Margashirsha begins | Pratipada at sunrise 06:52 |
| 28 November, Saturday | Krishna Chaturthi (27 Nov 09:49 → 28 Nov 06:41) | Sankashti Chaturthi (Ganadhipa) | Moonrise-based fast; our engine gives 28 November |
| 1 December, Tuesday | Krishna Ashtami (1 Dec 00:12 → 1 Dec 23:14) | Kalashtami / Kalabhairav Jayanti | Night worship; some calendars list 2 December |
| 4 December, Friday | Krishna Ekadashi (3 Dec 23:04 → 4 Dec 23:45) | Utpanna Ekadashi | Ekadashi at sunrise 06:59; parana next morning |
| 6 December, Sunday | Krishna Trayodashi (6 Dec 00:52 → 7 Dec 02:22) | Pradosh vrat | Trayodashi present after sunset 17:23 |
| 7 December, Monday | Krishna Chaturdashi (7 Dec 02:22 → 8 Dec 04:13) | Masik Shivratri | Nishita (midnight) worship on the night of 7 December |
| 8 December, Tuesday | Amavasya (8 Dec 04:13 → 9 Dec 06:22) | Margashirsha Amavasya | Amavasya at sunrise 07:02; bath and charity this day |
| 14 December, Monday | Shukla Panchami (13 Dec 16:47 → 14 Dec 19:15) | Vivah Panchami | Panchami at sunrise 07:06 |
| 15 December, Tuesday | Shukla Shashthi (14 Dec 19:15 → 15 Dec 21:19) | Champa Shashthi (Maharashtra, Khandoba) | Shashthi at sunrise 07:07 |
| 20 December, Sunday | Shukla Ekadashi (19 Dec 22:08 → 20 Dec 20:13) | Mokshada Ekadashi / Gita Jayanti | Ekadashi at sunrise 07:10; parana next morning |
| 21 December, Monday | Shukla Trayodashi (21 Dec 17:35 → 22 Dec 14:23) | Pradosh vrat | Pradosh kaal on the evening of 21 December; some calendars list 22 — explained below |
| 23 December, Wednesday | Purnima (23 Dec 10:47 → 24 Dec 06:58) | Dattatreya Jayanti / Margashirsha Purnima | Evening worship on 23 December; the Purnima touches no sunrise |
| 24 December, Thursday | Krishna Pratipada (24 Dec 06:58 → 25 Dec 03:07) | Paush begins | Pratipada at sunrise 07:12 |
Sankashti, Kalashtami, Pradosh, Shivratri and Amavasya come round every month; the other four come only in Margashirsha. The rules for new-moon and full-moon days, and every such date for the year, are in our Amavasya and Purnima 2026 list.
Is the second Pradosh on 21 or 22 December?
By our reckoning, Monday, 21 December. Pradosh kaal is the stretch of time just after sunset, and Pradosh vrat worship happens in that window. The rule: the vrat belongs to the day on which the Trayodashi tithi (the thirteenth lunar day) is present during pradosh kaal. Panchang makers call this pradosh-vyapini Trayodashi.
Now the 2026 timings. Shukla Trayodashi begins at 17:35 on 21 December and ends at 14:23 on 22 December. On 21 December it starts a few minutes after sunset and stays for the whole evening and night. On 22 December it is gone by early afternoon; by sunset at 17:28 the tithi is already Chaturdashi. So by the pradosh rule the vrat is on 21 December.
Some calendars print 22 December because at sunrise on 22 December (07:11) the tithi is Trayodashi, and they date every observance by the sunrise tithi. For Pradosh that rule does not fit. Compare the month's first Pradosh on 6 December, which was straightforward: Trayodashi ran from 00:52 to 02:22 the next morning, present at both sunrise and sunset.
Margashirsha Purnima and Dattatreya Jayanti: 23 or 24 December?
Wednesday, 23 December. The Purnima tithi runs from 23 December 10:47 to 24 December 06:58. At sunrise on 23 December (07:11) it is still Chaturdashi; at sunrise on 24 December (07:12) it is already Pratipada of Paush. The full moon sits in between, covering the whole night but no sunrise. In such a case, evening and night observances go on the day whose evening carries the tithi — 23 December. Dattatreya Jayanti worship is traditionally done in pradosh kaal, the evening, so it too falls on 23 December — moonrise that day is 16:36 and sunset 17:28.
The main vrats of the month: what and why
Utpanna Ekadashi — Friday, 4 December
The Ekadashi tithi (eleventh lunar day) runs from 3 December 23:04 to 4 December 23:45 and is present at sunrise on 4 December (06:59), so the fast is on 4 December. Parana, the breaking of the fast, is done the next morning, 5 December, after sunrise. According to the katha, Ekadashi Devi emerged from Lord Vishnu on this day — utpanna means "arisen". By common belief, the year-round cycle of Ekadashi fasts begins with this one.
Vivah Panchami — Monday, 14 December
Shukla Panchami runs from 13 December 16:47 to 14 December 19:15 and is present at sunrise on 14 December, so this is the day. Tradition holds that Lord Ram and Sita were married on this tithi. The Balkand of the Ramcharitmanas describes the wedding at length, and many homes read that passage on this day.
Mokshada Ekadashi and Gita Jayanti — Sunday, 20 December
Ekadashi runs from 19 December 22:08 to 20 December 20:13 and is present at sunrise on 20 December (07:10). The fast is on 20 December, with parana on the morning of 21 December. Tradition holds that Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna at Kurukshetra on this tithi, which is why it is called Gita Jayanti — the Gita's birthday. Mokshada means "the one that gives moksha", liberation. Many households read at least one chapter of the Gita on this day.
Dattatreya Jayanti — Wednesday, 23 December
Lord Dattatreya is regarded as a combined form of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. His jayanti is observed on Margashirsha Purnima and holds a special place in Maharashtra and Karnataka. In 2026 this is the evening of 23 December.
Why does the Gita mention Margashirsha?
In the tenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna lists his vibhutis — the things in which his excellence shows most clearly. Of the months he says: "masanam margashirsho'ham" (Gita 10.35) — "among months, I am Margashirsha." That line is why this month is so dear in Vaishnava tradition, and Gita Jayanti falling in the same month deepens the link. For a plain-language look at the Gita's teaching on action, read our article on karma in the Gita.
Tradition also treats Margashirsha as a bathing month like Kartik — an early-morning bath, tulsi worship, and lamps in the evening. Many households simply carry their Kartik month routine into Margashirsha.
Is Tamil Margazhi the same as Margashirsha?
Same root, different count. Margashirsha is a lunar month and in 2026 starts on 25 November. Margazhi is a solar month in the Tamil calendar; it begins when the Sun enters Dhanu (Sagittarius), the Dhanu Sankranti, which comes in mid-December every year.The Dhanu Sankranti falls in mid-December; the exact moment is not given in this article. Through Margazhi, Tamil homes sing Andal's Tiruppavai verses at dawn. So in 2026 both Gita Jayanti and Dattatreya Jayanti fall inside Margazhi.
What to do this month
- Note the two Ekadashis: 4 December and 20 December. Both have Ekadashi at sunrise, so there is no ambiguity.
- If you keep Pradosh vrat, keep the second one on the evening of 21 December, not 22.
- Anything tied to the full moon — Satyanarayan katha, evening lamps, Dattatreya puja — goes on the evening of 23 December.
- The timings above are for Delhi. Check sunrise, tithi and moonrise for your own city in our daily panchang before fixing a time.
Frequently asked questions
When does Margashirsha month 2026 start and end?
From 25 November 2026 (Wednesday) to the full moon on 23 December 2026 (Wednesday). Paush begins at sunrise on 24 December.
When is Utpanna Ekadashi 2026?
Friday, 4 December 2026. The Ekadashi tithi runs from 3 December 23:04 to 4 December 23:45.
When is Gita Jayanti 2026?
Sunday, 20 December 2026, on Mokshada Ekadashi. The tithi runs from 19 December 22:08 to 20 December 20:13.