Hindu Festival Calendar 2021: Printable

Hindu Festival Calendar: 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.

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.

Hindu Festival Calendar 2021: Printable

Hindu Festival Calendar 2021
January 2021	13, Wednesday	Lohri
	14, Thursday	Makar Sankranti
	15, Friday	Bhogali Bihu
	14, Thursday	Bihu
	14, Thursday ~ Sunday, Jan 17	Pongal
February 2021	11, Thursday	Mauni Amavasya
	16, Tuesday	Basant Panchami
March 2021	11, Thursday	Maha Shivaratri
	28, Sunday	Holi
	29, Monday	Holla Mohalla
April 2021	13, Tuesday	Vikrami Samvat (Hindu New Year)
	13, Tuesday ~ Thursday, Apr 22	Chaitra Navratri
	13, Tuesday	Gudi Padwa
	13, Tuesday	Ugadi
	14, Wednesday	Baisakhi
	21, Wednesday	Rama Navami
	13, Tuesday ~ Wednesday, Apr 21	Rongali Bihu
	25, Sunday	Mahavir Jayanti
	27, Tuesday	Hanuman Jayanti
May 2021	14, Friday	Akshay Tritiya
	26, Wednesday	Buddha Purnima
June 2021	20, Sunday	Ganga Dussehra
July 2021	12, Monday	Rath Yatra
	24, Saturday	Guru Purnima
August 2021	13, Friday	Naag Panchami
	22, Sunday	Raksha Bandhan
	30, Monday	Shri Krishna Janmashtami
	12, Thursday ~ Monday, Aug 23	Onam
September 2021	10, Friday	Ganesh Chaturthi
	17, Friday	Vishwakarma Puja
October 2021	07, Thursday	Navaratra Begins
	07, Thursday ~ Thursday, Oct 14	Sharad Navratri
	11, Monday ~ Friday, Oct 15	Durga Puja
	15, Friday	Dussehra
	24, Sunday	Karva Chauth
	19, Tuesday	Kongali Bihu
November 2021	02, Tuesday	Dhan Teras
	04, Thursday	Diwali
	04, Thursday	Kali Puja
	05, Friday	Govardhan Puja
	06, Saturday	Bhai Duj
	08, Monday	Chhath Puja Begins (Nahai Khai)
	10, Wednesday	Chhath Puja Ends (Sandhya Argh)