Navratri 2026 Colours, Day by Day: 11–20 October — Which Colour to Wear Each Day
Navratri 2026 colours: orange on 11 October, white 12, red 13, royal blue 14, yellow 15, green 16, grey 17, orange 18, peacock green/pink on 19 October (Ashtami-Navami). Nine tithis over ten days, so this list goes by date.
Shardiya Navratri 2026 begins with Ghatasthapana on Sunday, 11 October and ends with Vijayadashami on Tuesday, 20 October. By the popular colour tradition, wear orange on 11 October, white on the 12th, red on the 13th, royal blue on the 14th, yellow on the 15th, green on the 16th, grey on the 17th, orange again on the 18th, and peacock green or pink on 19 October, when Ashtami and Navami fall on the same day. Nine tithis are spread across ten calendar days this year, so this list is arranged by date.
The colour list is a popular custom, not a scriptural rule. The full table is below, followed by how the colours are decided and why 2026 has Saptami on two days and Ashtami-Navami on one.
Which colour to wear on each day of Navratri 2026?
Each row gives the date, the weekday, the tithi that governs it, the colour, and the goddess worshipped that day. A tithi is a lunar day, counted by the Moon's movement. Unlike a calendar date it does not change at midnight; it can start and end at any hour.
| Date | Weekday | Tithi / Navratri day | Colour | Goddess |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 October | Sunday | Pratipada — Day 1 (Ghatasthapana) | Orange (Narangi) | Shailputri |
| 12 October | Monday | Dwitiya — Day 2 | White (Safed) | Brahmacharini |
| 13 October | Tuesday | Tritiya — Day 3 | Red (Laal) | Chandraghanta |
| 14 October | Wednesday | Chaturthi — Day 4 | Royal Blue (Neela) | Kushmanda |
| 15 October | Thursday | Panchami — Day 5 | Yellow (Peela) | Skandamata |
| 16 October | Friday | Shashthi — Day 6 | Green (Hara) | Katyayani |
| 17 October | Saturday | Saptami — Day 7 | Grey (Sleti) | Kalratri |
| 18 October | Sunday | Saptami (continues) — Day 7 | Orange (Narangi) — by weekday | Kalratri |
| 19 October | Monday | Ashtami + Navami — Days 8 and 9 | Peacock Green (Mor-pankhi) / Pink (Gulabi) | Mahagauri, Siddhidatri |
| 20 October | Tuesday | Vijayadashami (Dussehra) | Not in the list; Tuesday's red by weekday | — |
19 October has two colours because both Ashtami and Navami tithis fall on it: Ashtami till 10:52 in the morning (peacock green), Navami after that (pink). 20 October is Vijayadashami, also called Dussehra. It has no colour in the nine-colour list; if you want one, Tuesday's weekday colour is red.
How are the Navratri colours decided?
The list does not come from any Purana or puja manual. It began in Maharashtra and Gujarat, in newspapers, pandals and office celebrations, and has since spread across India. Following it is entirely a matter of choice. Skipping it takes nothing away from the puja.
The rule is simple: the colour depends on the weekday, not on the Navratri day number. Sunday is orange, Monday white, Tuesday red, Wednesday royal blue, Thursday yellow, Friday green and Saturday grey. For the eighth and ninth days, peacock green and pink are commonly used so that no colour repeats.
That is why the list changes every year. It starts from whichever weekday Pratipada, the first tithi, falls on. In 2026 Pratipada is a Sunday, so the first colour is orange.
Why does each weekday have a colour?
In Hindi, each weekday is named after its planet: Ravivar for Surya (the Sun), Somvar for Soma (the Moon), Mangalvar for Mangal (Mars), Budhvar for Budh (Mercury), Guruvar for Guru (Jupiter), Shukravar for Shukra (Venus) and Shanivar for Shani (Saturn). In the jyotish tradition each planet is paired with a colour, and it is commonly believed that wearing that colour on its weekday is auspicious. The Navratri list rests on that pairing.
Why does 2026 have 9 colours but 10 days?
Navratri is counted by tithi, and a day belongs to whichever tithi is running at sunrise. Two things happen together in 2026.
First, Saptami, the seventh tithi, begins at 05:54 on 17 October and runs till 08:28 on 18 October. Sunrise is 06:24 on both days, so Saptami is present at both sunrises and Day 7 is counted twice. This is called tithi vriddhi: one tithi touching two sunrises.
Second, Ashtami runs from 08:28 on 18 October to 10:52 on 19 October, and Navami from 10:52 on 19 October to 12:50 on 20 October. By our panchang engine, Durga Ashtami and Maha Navami are both observed on Monday, 19 October, and Vijayadashami on 20 October once Dashami begins after 12:50. Times are for Delhi; your city may differ by a few minutes.
The result: nine tithis from Pratipada to Navami, but ten calendar days from 11 to 20 October. The tithi-by-tithi working is in the full Shardiya Navratri 2026 calendar.
18 October: orange or grey?
Either is fine. By the weekday rule Sunday is orange, which is what the table shows. But the tithi is still Saptami and the goddess is still Kalratri, so if you go by day number you can repeat Day 7's grey. This is a custom, not a ritual rule, so neither choice is wrong. Follow whatever your home or pandal does.
19 October: Ashtami and Navami together, which colour?
Ashtami lasts till 10:52 in the morning, so wear peacock green for the morning puja and kanya pujan, the worship of young girls as forms of the goddess. Navami begins after that, and its colour is pink. If you want one colour for the whole day, pick the one for your main puja time. When and how to do kanya pujan has its own post.
Which goddess is worshipped on each day?
By tradition, the nine days of Navratri are dedicated to the nine forms of Durga. With the 2026 dates the order is:
- 11 October — Shailputri (Day 1)
- 12 October — Brahmacharini (Day 2)
- 13 October — Chandraghanta (Day 3)
- 14 October — Kushmanda (Day 4)
- 15 October — Skandamata (Day 5)
- 16 October — Katyayani (Day 6)
- 17 and 18 October — Kalratri (Day 7, both days)
- 19 October — Mahagauri (Day 8) and Siddhidatri (Day 9)
Each goddess has her own post with the story, mantra and puja steps. Start from the complete Navratri 2026 nine-day guide.
How to use this list
Day 1 needs the most preparation. On 11 October sunrise is at 06:20 and Pratipada lasts till 21:32 at night. The Ghatasthapana muhurat and samagri list is in that post.
A few practical points for the clothes:
- Save the ten-day list on your phone or take a screenshot, so there is no hunting in the morning.
- The whole outfit need not be in the colour. A dupatta, a kurta, a saree border or a set of bangles is enough.
- At the office or at school, add one piece in the day's colour to plain clothes.
- Decide in advance whether you will keep orange or grey on 18 October.
- Keep peacock green ready for the morning puja on 19 October, and pink for the evening.
The colour is a way of joining in, not a condition. On a day when nothing in that shade is at hand, the puja is just as complete.
The exact tithi timings, sunrise and nakshatra for each day are updated every morning in our daily panchang. One glance before the puja is enough during Navratri.