Gujarati Festivals 2016

The Kartik-based Vikram Samvat is a historical Gujarati convention tying the new year to the day after Diwali — Bestu Varas, Kartak Shukla Pratipada. This is one of two recognised Vikram Samvat reckonings: the other (Chaitra-based) is used by most North Indian Hindus, with the year rolling on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada (Gudi Padwa, late March or early April). Gujarat, parts of Maharashtra, and certain Jain communities follow the Kartik reckoning. The astronomical lunar days are identical in both; only the year-roll date differs. This means the Gujarati VS year number runs one behind the Chaitra-based VS for the portion of the Gregorian year between April (Chaitra rollover) and November (Kartak rollover) — and they align for the months from Kartak rollover through the following Chaitra.

Diwali falls on Aaso Krishna Amavasya — the new moon of the Gujarati month Aaso (Ashvina), in late October or mid-November depending on the year. The five-day sequence around Diwali 2026 is: Dhanteras (Aaso Krishna Trayodashi), Kali Chaudas (Aaso Krishna Chaturdashi, the night of Kali worship), Diwali / Lakshmi Puja (Aaso Krishna Amavasya), Bestu Varas (Kartak Shukla Padvo — New Year's day, the morning after Diwali), Bhai Bij (Kartak Shukla Bij — Bhai Dooj equivalent). Check the Aaso and Kartak month views on this calendar for exact 2026 Gregorian dates, which shift with the lunar cycle.

Labh Pancham is Kartak Shukla Panchami — the 5th day of the bright half of Kartak, five days after Bestu Varas. The day's name means 'auspicious fifth' (labh = profit/benefit, pancham = fifth), and it is considered the most auspicious day of the new Gujarati year to formally open shops, sign business agreements, launch new ventures, and make the year's first major purchase. Many Gujarati traders keep their shops closed from Diwali through Labh Pancham — a six-day holiday — and reopen on Labh Pancham with a puja and a fresh start. In diamond and textile trading communities in Surat and Mumbai, Labh Pancham marks the effective start of the business year, regardless of what the Gregorian calendar says.

Uttarayan is Makar Sankranti (January 14) — the Sun's transit into Makara (Capricorn), marking the start of its northward journey (uttarayan = northward path). In Gujarat, Uttarayan is primarily a kite festival: Ahmedabad's International Kite Festival draws participants from across India and abroad; families in Surat, Vadodara, and Rajkot gather on rooftops from dawn; manjha (the coated string used to cut rival kites) and colourful fighter kites fill the sky until sunset. Food is central: chikki (sesame-peanut brittle), til-gud (sesame-jaggery sweets), and undhiyu (mixed-vegetable winter dish cooked underground or in a pot) are the signature Uttarayan preparations. Vasi-Uttarayan the next day extends the celebrations. The same astronomical event is called Pongal in Tamil Nadu and Pithe parban in Bengal.

Shravan (July-August) is the peak Shaiva devotional month and the strictest dietary month for many Gujaratis. Strict vegetarianism is standard, with many households additionally avoiding onion and garlic for the entire month. Shravan Somvar (Monday) fasts honour Lord Shiva — devotees fast through the day, visit Shiva temples for abhishekam, and break the fast in the evening. Janmashtami (Shravan Krishna Ashtami) marks Krishna's birth with midnight celebrations, matki-phod (pot-breaking to reach butter, re-enacting Krishna's childhood), and bhajan through the night. The Pushtimarg Vaishnav sect — Gujarat's dominant Vaishnav community tracing to Vallabhacharya — is especially active in Shravan with haveli sangeet (devotional music in Krishna temples) and continuous kirtan.

Akshay Trij (Akshaya Tritiya, Vaishakh Shukla Tritiya, late April or early May) is one of the four 'akshay' or self-auspicious days in the Vedic calendar — days so auspicious that no separate muhurat calculation is needed. Gujarati jewellery showrooms run their biggest sales of the year on Akshay Trij; the belief that gold purchased on this day will 'multiply' (akshay = imperishable) drives enormous buying activity. Weddings and griha pravesh planned without a specific muhurat are often held on Akshay Trij. The day is pan-Hindu but Gujarati commercial culture makes it the year's peak gold-purchase moment. Jain Gujaratis additionally observe the day as Akha Trij, commemorating the end of the first tirthankara Rishabhanatha's long fast.