Hindu Festival Calendar

Hindu Festival Calendar 2024: Print Religious Holidays of Hindus

Hindu Festival Calendar 2024: It’s been said often enough that Hindus celebrate everything. So they do. The birth of gods, death of asuras, victory of the gods, marriage of the gods, the new year, new months, full moons, new moons, harvests, birthdays, initiations, marriages, deaths, anniversaries – you name the event, and it is reason for music, dance, processions, and what have you.

Hindu Festival Calendar 2024:

January 2024 Festivals
7 Sunday Saphala Ekadashi
9 Tuesday Masik Shivaratri, Pradosh Vrat (K)
11 Thursday Paush Amavasya
15 Monday Pongal, Uttarayan, Makar Sankranti
21 Sunday Pausha Putrada Ekadashi
23 Tuesday Pradosh Vrat (S)
25 Thursday Paush Purnima Vrat
29 Monday Sankashti Chaturthi
February 2024 Festivals
6 Tuesday Shattila Ekadashi
7 Wednesday Pradosh Vrat (K)
8 Thursday Masik Shivaratri
9 Friday Magha Amavasya
13 Tuesday Kumbha Sankranti
14 Wednesday Basant Panchmi, Saraswati Puja
20 Tuesday Jaya / Bhami Ekadashi
21 Wednesday Pradosh Vrat (S)
24 Saturday Magha Purnima Vrat
28 Wednesday Sankashti Chaturthi
March 2024 Festivals
6 Wednesday Vijaya Ekadashi
8 Friday Mahashivratri, Pradosh Vrat (K), Masik Shivaratri
10 Sunday Phalguna Amavasya
14 Thursday Meena Sankranti
20 Wednesday Amalaki Ekadashi
22 Friday Pradosh Vrat (S)
24 Sunday Holika Dahan
25 Monday Holi, Phalguna Purnima Vrat
28 Thursday Sankashti Chaturthi
April 2024 Festivals
5 Friday Papmochani Ekadashi
6 Saturday Pradosh Vrat (K)
7 Sunday Masik Shivaratri
8 Monday Chaitra Amavasya
9 Tuesday Chaitra Navratri, Ugadi, Ghatasthapana, Gudi Padwa
10 Wednesday Cheti Chand
13 Saturday Mesha Sankranti
17 Wednesday Chaitra Navratri Parana, Ram Navami
19 Friday Kamada Ekadashi
21 Sunday Pradosh Vrat (S)
23 Tuesday Hanuman Jayanti, Chaitra Purnima Vrat
27 Saturday Sankashti Chaturthi
May 2024 Festivals
4 Saturday Varuthini Ekadashi
5 Sunday Pradosh Vrat (K)
6 Monday Masik Shivaratri
8 Wednesday Vaishakha Amavasya
10 Friday Akshaya Tritiya
14 Tuesday Vrishabha Sankranti
19 Sunday Mohini Ekadashi
20 Monday Pradosh Vrat (S)
23 Thursday Vaishakha Purnima Vrat
26 Sunday Sankashti Chaturthi
June 2024 Festivals
2 Sunday Apara Ekadashi
4 Tuesday Masik Shivaratri, Pradosh Vrat (K)
6 Thursday Jyeshtha Amavasya
15 Saturday Mithuna Sankranti
18 Tuesday Nirjala Ekadashi
19 Wednesday Pradosh Vrat (S)
22 Saturday Jyeshtha Purnima Vrat
25 Tuesday Sankashti Chaturthi
July 2024 Festivals
2 Tuesday Yogini Ekadashi
3 Wednesday Pradosh Vrat (K)
4 Thursday Masik Shivaratri
5 Friday Ashadha Amavasya
7 Sunday Jagannath Rath Yatra
16 Tuesday Karka Sankranti
17 Wednesday Deva Shayani Ekadashi, Ashadhi Ekadashi
18 Thursday Pradosh Vrat (S)
21 Sunday Guru Purnima, Ashadha Purnima Vrat
24 Wednesday Sankashti Chaturthi
31 Wednesday Kamika Ekadashi
August 2024 Festivals
1 Thursday Pradosh Vrat (K)
2 Friday Masik Shivaratri
4 Sunday Shravana Amavasya
7 Wednesday Hariyali Teej
9 Friday Nag Panchami
16 Friday Shravana Putrada Ekadashi, Simha Sankranti
17 Saturday Pradosh Vrat (S)
19 Monday Raksha Bandhan, Shravana Purnima Vrat
22 Thursday Sankashti Chaturthi, Kajari Teej
26 Monday Janmashtami
29 Thursday Aja Ekadashi
31 Saturday Pradosh Vrat (K)
September 2024 Festivals
1 Sunday Masik Shivaratri
2 Monday Bhadrapada Amavasya
6 Friday Hartalika Teej
7 Saturday Ganesh Chaturthi
14 Saturday Parivartini Ekadashi
15 Sunday Pradosh Vrat (S), Onam/Thiruvonam
16 Monday Kanya Sankranti
17 Tuesday Anant Chaturdashi
18 Wednesday Bhadrapada Purnima Vrat
21 Saturday Sankashti Chaturthi
28 Saturday Indira Ekadashi
29 Sunday Pradosh Vrat (K)
30 Monday Masik Shivaratri
October 2024 Festivals
2 Wednesday Ashwin Amavasya
3 Thursday Sharad Navratri, Ghatasthapana
9 Wednesday Kalparambha
10 Thursday Navpatrika Puja
11 Friday Durga Maha Navami Puja, Durga Puja Ashtami
12 Saturday Dussehra, Sharad Navratri Parana
13 Sunday Durga Visarjan
14 Monday Papankusha Ekadashi
15 Tuesday Pradosh Vrat (S)
17 Thursday Ashwin Purnima Vrat, Tula Sankranti
20 Sunday Sankashti Chaturthi, Karva Chauth
28 Monday Rama Ekadashi
29 Tuesday Dhanteras, Pradosh Vrat (K)
30 Wednesday Masik Shivaratri
31 Thursday Narak Chaturdashi
November 2024 Festivals
1 Friday Diwali, Kartik Amavasya
2 Saturday Govardhan Puja
3 Sunday Bhai Dooj
7 Thursday Chhath Puja
12 Tuesday Devutthana Ekadashi
13 Wednesday Pradosh Vrat (S)
15 Friday Kartik Purnima Vrat
16 Saturday Vrischika Sankranti
18 Monday Sankashti Chaturthi
26 Tuesday Utpanna Ekadashi
28 Thursday Pradosh Vrat (K)
29 Friday Masik Shivaratri
December 2024 Festivals
1 Sunday Margashirsha Amavasya
11 Wednesday Mokshada Ekadashi
13 Friday Pradosh Vrat (S)
15 Sunday Dhanu Sankranti, Margashirsha Purnima Vrat
18 Wednesday Sankashti Chaturthi
26 Thursday Saphala Ekadashi
28 Saturday Pradosh Vrat (K)
29 Sunday Masik Shivaratri
30 Monday Paush Amavasya

And there is the religious bit lurking behind it all. The reasons for this lie deep, in the origin of Hinduism as an organic religion. Its followers have over time considered anything, animate or inanimate, to be sacred and aspects of divinity.

That is also why even secular events like harvests take on religious overtones, with the patron deity presiding over the festivities. As soon as something happens, there is a kind of thanksgiving to the divine that follows it.

Apart from the universally celebrated festivals like Dussehra, Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi, there are others that are observed in specific communities or geographical areas. Hindu holidays are also confined to particular regions by the importance a certain god enjoys.

Worship of Kartikeya (as during the festival of Skanda Shashti) is predominant in Tamil Nadu, where the god is considered a patron of the region. Onam is a good example of a festival that is celebrated solely by Keralites. Another interesting aspect of Onam is that it is perhaps the only major Hindu festival that celebrates the reign of an asura king, although a benevolent one.

The profusion of legends and the contradictions inherent in them is reflected in festivals too. Travel around the country, and you will hear people tell you a variety of legends involving different gods behind a single festival. Besides, you will also find versions of the same festival being celebrated under different names in different regions.

All this adds that facet of unending novelty and constant change to the strikingly colorful kaleidoscope that is India. You might end up thinking the thought: “The more things change, the more they remain the same”, which is something often said about India and its magical agelessness.

With so many holy days and more than 20 major Hindu festivals, the calendar should be liberally sprinkled with them. But it isn’t so. There is a distinct festival season, which runs from late August through December. This is when there is a fever of celebrations, with a string of important festivals following one another in a rush.

But the major festivals are not the only ones that the people celebrate. Browse through the Hindu almanac, and you will find a mention of holiness or sacredness against almost every day of the year. Most of the lesser festivals are lesser because they have a private rather than public face. There are rituals for phases of the moon, solar and lunar eclipses, days of the week, a person’s auspicious star or zodiac sign.

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