Hindu Festivals in December 2026

Tuesday · Lord Krishna (as Gitacharya)

The Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi (Mokshada Ekadashi) — the very day in Dvapara Yuga when Lord Krishna delivered the 700-verse Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna on the Kurukshetra battlefield before the Mahabharata war. Devotees undertake full parayana of all 18 chapters and 700 verses in a single day. ISKCON celebrates with continuous gita-pravachana at every centre worldwide. Kurukshetra city hosts the International Gita Mahotsav with delegations from 40+ countries.

Thursday · Shiva

Karthigai Deepam falls on the Pournami of the Tamil month Karthigai when the moon conjoins the Krittika nakshatra, observed across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka. Legend recalls Shiva manifesting as an infinite jyotirlinga of fire at Tiruvannamalai, humbling Brahma and Vishnu who could not measure His ends; the Mahadeepam atop Arunachala Hill is lit at dusk and visible for miles. Homes glow with rows of agal vilakku (clay lamps) on verandahs and thresholds, while temples conduct Krittika abhisheka. The festival predates Diwali in Tamil tradition and is referenced in Tolkappiyam and Ahananuru Sangam literature.

Saturday · Krishna

Krishna delivered the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna on the Kurukshetra battlefield on this day. Recitation of Gita today liberates ancestors (mokshada = bestower of moksha).

Wednesday · Vishnu

Vaikuntha Ekadashi falls on the Shukla Paksha Ekadashi of the Margashirsha or Pausha month and is considered the most powerful Ekadashi of the entire year. According to the Padma Purana, on this day Lord Vishnu opens the Vaikuntha Dwaram, the celestial gateway to his supreme abode, and souls who fast and worship sincerely are granted liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The festival is observed with particular grandeur at the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, Tirumala Tirupati, and Vaishnava centers across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala, where devotees walk through specially decorated Vaikuntha Dwaram corridors. In North India it is observed as Mukkoti Ekadashi or Putrada Ekadashi of Pausha. Devotees from all Vaishnava sampradayas, including Sri Vaishnavas, Madhvas, and Gaudiyas, treat this day as the spiritual zenith of the year, combining strict fasting with night-long Vishnu sahasranama chanting and Tiruppavai recitation.