Festivals
Festival dates and wishes, October to November 2026
The 2026 festival season starts with Sharad Navratri from 11 October to 19 October and Dussehra on Tuesday, 20 October, then Karwa Chauth on Thursday, 29 October, Diwali on Sunday, 8 November and Chhath Puja on Sunday, 15 November, and ends with Guru Nanak Jayanti on 24 November.
Dates are for New Delhi (Drik Panchang) and can differ by a day in your city. Each has a greeting to send, in Hindi and English.
The season at a glance
| Festival | 2026 date | What to wish |
|---|---|---|
| Sharad Navratri | 11 Oct – 19 Oct | Warm wishes for Navratri. Jai Mata Di! |
| Durga Puja | Sunday, 18 October | Shubho Durga Puja. May Maa Durga bless your home. |
| Dussehra (Vijayadashami) | Tuesday, 20 October | Happy Dussehra. May good always win over evil. |
| Sharad Purnima | Sunday, 25 October | Happy Sharad Purnima. |
| Karwa Chauth | Thursday, 29 October | Happy Karva Chauth. May your bond stay blessed for ever. |
| Dhanteras | Friday, 6 November | Happy Dhanteras. May your home be filled with health, joy and prosperity. |
| Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) | Sunday, 8 November | Happy Diwali! May the lamps of Diwali light up your home with joy. |
| Govardhan Puja | Tuesday, 10 November | Happy Govardhan Puja. Jai Shri Krishna! |
| Bhai Dooj | Wednesday, 11 November | Happy Bhai Dooj. May the bond between brother and sister always stay strong. |
| Chhath Puja | Sunday, 15 November | Happy Chhath Puja. May Chhathi Maiya bless your family. |
| Guru Nanak Jayanti (Gurpurab) and Kartik Purnima | Tuesday, 24 November | Happy Gurpurab, and a blessed Kartik Purnima. |
Each festival, and its greeting
Om Dum Durgayai Namah
Jai Durga
Have a blessed day
11 October – 19 October 2026
Sharad Navratri
Nine nights of the goddess Durga, one of her nine forms each day, from Shailaputri to Siddhidatri. Durga Ashtami and Maha Navami both fall on 19 October this year.
नवरात्रि की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ। जय माता दी!
Navratri ki hardik shubhkamnayein. Jai Mata Di!
Warm wishes for Navratri. Jai Mata Di!
Om Dum Durgayai Namah
Jai Durga
Have a blessed day
Sunday, 18 October 2026
Durga Puja
Bengal’s great festival of the goddess, celebrated in pandals across the country; it ends on Vijayadashami with the immersion of the idol.
दुर्गा पूजा की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ। जय माँ दुर्गा!
Durga Puja ki hardik shubhkamnayein. Jai Maa Durga!
Shubho Durga Puja. May Maa Durga bless your home.
Om Shri Ramaya Namah
Jai Rama
Have a blessed day
Tuesday, 20 October 2026
Dussehra (Vijayadashami)
The victory of Ram over Ravana, and of Durga over Mahishasura: the day after Navratri ends.
विजयादशमी की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ। जय श्री राम!
Vijayadashami ki hardik shubhkamnayein. Jai Shri Ram!
Happy Dussehra. May good always win over evil.
Thursday, 29 October 2026
Karwa Chauth
Married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for their husbands’ long life, and break the fast after seeing the moon.
करवा चौथ की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ। आपका सुहाग सदा अमर रहे।
Karva Chauth ki hardik shubhkamnayein. Aapka suhaag sada amar rahe.
Happy Karva Chauth. May your bond stay blessed for ever.
Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah
Jai Lakshmi
Friday, 6 November 2026
Dhanteras
The first day of Diwali: Lord Dhanvantari and Kuber are worshipped, and buying gold, silver or a new utensil is thought lucky.
धनतेरस की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ। आपके घर सुख, समृद्धि और आरोग्य का वास हो।
Dhanteras ki hardik shubhkamnayein.
Happy Dhanteras. May your home be filled with health, joy and prosperity.
Om Gam Ganapataye Namah
Jai Ganesha
Sunday, 8 November 2026
Diwali (Lakshmi Puja)
The festival of lights. Lakshmi and Ganesha are worshipped in the evening, after sunset. Choti Diwali (Naraka Chaturdashi) falls on the same day this year.
शुभ दीपावली! दीपावली की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ।
Shubh Deepawali! Deepawali ki hardik shubhkamnayein.
Happy Diwali! May the lamps of Diwali light up your home with joy.
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Jai Krishna
Tuesday, 10 November 2026
Govardhan Puja
Krishna lifting Govardhan hill to shelter the people of Braj; homes offer annakut, a mountain of food.
गोवर्धन पूजा की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ। जय श्री कृष्ण!
Govardhan Puja ki hardik shubhkamnayein. Jai Shri Krishna!
Happy Govardhan Puja. Jai Shri Krishna!
Wednesday, 11 November 2026
Bhai Dooj
Sisters put a tilak on their brothers’ foreheads and pray for their long life; brothers promise to protect them.
भाई दूज की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ। भाई-बहन का यह प्यार सदा बना रहे।
Bhai Dooj ki hardik shubhkamnayein.
Happy Bhai Dooj. May the bond between brother and sister always stay strong.
Good Morning
Have a blessed day
Sunday, 15 November 2026
Chhath Puja
Devotees offer arghya to the setting and the rising sun (Surya) and Chhathi Maiya, standing in a river or pond. Celebrated most in Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
छठ पूजा की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ। छठी मैया आपकी हर मनोकामना पूरी करें।
Chhath Puja ki hardik shubhkamnayein.
Happy Chhath Puja. May Chhathi Maiya bless your family.
Tuesday, 24 November 2026
Guru Nanak Jayanti (Gurpurab) and Kartik Purnima
The birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, on Kartik Purnima; in Varanasi, Dev Deepawali lights the ghats the same night.
गुरु नानक जयंती और कार्तिक पूर्णिमा की लख-लख बधाइयाँ।
Guru Nanak Jayanti ki lakh-lakh badhaiyan.
Happy Gurpurab, and a blessed Kartik Purnima.
Posters are frames from WishDaily greeting videos published in September 2026 (Durga, Ram, Lakshmi, Ganesha, Krishna, and a sunrise). Each festival gets its own videos in the app.
Questions about the 2026 festival dates
- When is Diwali in 2026?
- Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) is on Sunday, 8 November, 2026. Dhanteras is on Friday, 6 November, Govardhan Puja on Tuesday, 10 November and Bhai Dooj on Wednesday, 11 November. More on the Diwali 2026 page.
- When is Navratri in 2026?
- Sharad Navratri runs from Sunday, 11 October to Monday, 19 October, 2026, with Durga Ashtami and Maha Navami both on 19 October. Dussehra follows on Tuesday, 20 October.
- When is Dussehra in 2026?
- Dussehra (Vijayadashami) is on Tuesday, 20 October, 2026.
- When is Karwa Chauth in 2026?
- Karwa Chauth is on Thursday, 29 October, 2026. The fast ends at moonrise, which differs by city.
- When is Chhath Puja in 2026?
- The main day of Chhath Puja (Shashthi, the evening arghya to the setting sun) is Sunday, 15 November, 2026; the morning arghya is the next day.
- When is Guru Nanak Jayanti in 2026?
- Guru Nanak Jayanti (Gurpurab) is on Kartik Purnima, Tuesday, 24 November, 2026.
- Why are the festivals later in 2026 than in 2025?
- Hindu festivals follow the lunar calendar, not the Gregorian one, so their dates move every year. In 2025 Diwali was on 20 October; in 2026 it is on 8 November.
- How do you wish someone a happy festival in Hindi?
- Add “ki hardik shubhkamnayein” (heartfelt wishes for) after the festival’s name: दीपावली की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ, नवरात्रि की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ. For Gurpurab, “lakh-lakh badhaiyan” is the usual greeting.