Festival Calendar
A year of the Hindu festivals, month by month — when they fall, how their dates are set, and how they are kept in Malaysia.
A Hindu year is not a flat line of dates but a rhythm: the harvest of Tai, the vows of the Kāvaṭi season, the colours of spring, the quiet monsoon months of the ancestors, the nine nights of the Goddess, and the lamps of autumn. Some festivals are tied to the sun and barely move; others follow the moon and wander by weeks. This page lays out the whole year, so you can see what is coming and where it belongs.
How to use this calendar
Each festival is given an approximate window in the Western calendar, the way it is set, and its next date. Three kinds of date appear:
- Solar — tied to the sun’s entry into a sign (saṅkrānti) or a solar month. These hardly move: Pongal, Tamil New Year.
- Lunar — tied to a tithi of a lunar month. These move by up to a month: Deepavali, Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi.
- Star — a nakṣatra within a Tamil solar month. These move within that month: Thaipusam, Kārttikai Dīpam.
For why they move, see The Panchanga. Dates below were checked against published panchāṅga listings and Malaysian holiday schedules in October 2026; they can vary by a day by region and panchāṅga, so confirm with your own temple, which may compute for Malaysia rather than India.
The year, quarter by quarter
Tamil months begin in the middle of Western ones, so each quarter is labelled with both. Tap a quarter:
Tai · Māci · Paṅkuṉi
- 13–17 Jan · solarPongalThe Tamil harvest festival at the sun’s entry into Makara: Bhōki, Tai Poṅkal, Māṭṭu Poṅkal, Kāṇum Poṅkal. Kept across India as Makara Saṅkrānti, Lohri and Bihu. Next: Thai Pongal, Friday 15 January 2027.
- mid-Jan – mid-Feb · starThaipusamMurugan’s great day, on the Pūcam star in Tai: kāvaṭi, milk-pots and the climb to Batu Caves. Malaysia’s most visible Hindu festival. Next: Friday 22 January 2027.
- late Jan – Feb · lunarVasanta PañcamīThe fifth of the bright half of Māgha: Saraswati’s day in North and East India; children begin their letters. See Lakshmi & Saraswati. Next: about 11 February 2027.
- Feb – Mar · starMāci MakamThe Makam star in Māci, often at full moon: deities are taken to the sea or a temple tank for a sacred bath. Famous at Kumbakonam, where every twelfth year it becomes the Mahāmakam.
- mid-Feb – mid-Mar · lunarMaha ShivaratriThe fourteenth night of the dark half of Māgha (Phālguna in the North): an all-night vigil and fast for Shiva, with abhiṣekam in four watches. Next: Saturday 6 March 2027.
- late Feb – late Mar · lunarHoliThe full moon of Phālguna: the bonfire of Holikā, then a day of colours. Kept mainly by North Indian communities in Malaysia. Next: Holikā Dahan 21 March, Holi Monday 22 March 2027.
- Mar – Apr · starPaṅkuṉi UttiramThe Uttiram star in Paṅkuṉi, usually at full moon: the divine weddings — Shiva and Pārvatī, Murugan and Deivayāṉai — and a major Murugan festival in Malaysian temples.
Paṅkuṉi · Cittirai · Vaikāci · Āṉi
- Mar – Apr · lunarUgādi and Vasanta NavarātriThe lunar New Year of the Telugu, Kannada and Marathi (Guḍhī Pāḍavā) calendars, on the first of the bright half of Caitra — and the start of the spring Navaratri. Next: Wednesday 7 April 2027.
- 13–14 Apr · solarPuthandu, Tamil New YearThe first of Cittirai, when the sun enters Mēṣa. Many families view a tray of fruit, flowers, gold and a mirror on waking (as in Kerala’s Vishu) and eat a mango pachadi of six tastes. Community practice Next: Wednesday 14 April 2027.
- late Mar – mid-Apr · lunarRama NavamiThe ninth of the bright half of Caitra, Rama’s birth at midday; the end of the spring Navaratri. Next: Thursday 15 April 2027.
- Apr – May · starCittirai PaurṇamiThe full moon of Cittirai: Madurai’s great festival of Mīnākṣī’s wedding, and in Tamil homes a day for Citragupta, the keeper of deeds. Some Malaysian temples hold processions and milk-pot offerings.
- Apr – May · lunarAkṣaya TṛtīyāThe “undecaying third” of Vaiśākha: a day for beginnings and gifts; in Malaysia, a busy day at the jewellers. Next: Sunday 9 May 2027.
- May – Jun · starVaikāci VicākamThe Viśākhā star in Vaikāci: the birth of Murugan, kept with kāvaṭi in some Malaysian temples. Close to Wesak, the Buddhist full moon of the same month, which is a federal holiday in Malaysia.
Āṭi · Āvaṇi · Puraṭṭāci
- Jul · lunarGuru PūrṇimāThe full moon of Āṣāḍha, honouring Vyāsa and one’s own teacher. See The Guru. Next: Sunday 18 July 2027.
- mid-Jul – mid-Aug · solarThe month of ĀṭiA month of the Goddess in Tamil tradition: Fridays at the Amman temple, Āṭi Perukku (the swelling of the rivers, about 3 August), Āṭi Amāvācai for the ancestors, and Āṭi Pūram, the birth star of the poet-saint Āṇṭāḷ. Weddings are traditionally avoided.
- Aug · lunarVaralakṣmī Vratam and Rakṣā BandhanThe Friday before the full moon of Śrāvaṇa, women’s vow to Lakshmi for the family’s welfare; at the full moon, sisters tie a protective thread on their brothers’ wrists. Next: 13 and 17 August 2027.
- mid-Aug – mid-Sep · lunarKrishna JanmashtamiThe eighth of the dark half (Śrāvaṇa in the South, Bhādrapada in the North), Krishna’s midnight birth; Tamil homes draw small footprints from door to shrine. Next: Wednesday 25 August 2027.
- Aug – Sep · starŌṇamKerala’s harvest festival on the Tiruvōṇam star in the solar month of Ciṅṅam, welcoming King Mahābali; kept by Malaysia’s Malayali community with the great vegetarian feast, sadya.
- late Aug – mid-Sep · lunarGanesh ChaturthiThe fourth of the bright half of Bhādrapada: Vināyakar Caturtti, with clay images, modakam (kozhukattai) and, in Malaysia, temple processions. Next: Saturday 4 September 2027.
- Sep – Oct · lunar / solarMahālaya and PuraṭṭāciThe dark fortnight before Navaratri is pitṛ pakṣa, for offerings to the ancestors (tarpaṇa), ending on Mahālaya Amāvāsyā. In the solar month of Puraṭṭāci many Tamil families keep Saturdays vegetarian for Perumāḷ (Vishnu); others go without meat for the whole month.
Puraṭṭāci · Aippaci · Kārttikai · Mārkaḻi
- late Sep – Oct · lunarNavaratriNine nights of the Goddess from the first of the bright half of Āśvina, with kolu, Saraswati and Āyudha Pūjā, and Vijayadaśamī. Next: from Thursday 30 September 2027; Vijayadaśamī 9 October.
- mid-Oct – mid-Nov · lunarDeepavaliThe festival of lights, around the new moon of Kārtika (Aippaci in the Tamil months); for Malaysian Tamils, the morning of Naraka Caturdaśī. Next: Sunday 8 November 2026; then Thursday 28 October 2027 in Malaysia.
- Oct – Nov · lunarSkanda ṢaṣṭhīSix days of fasting for Murugan from the day after Deepavali’s new moon, ending in Cūracamhāram, his victory over the demon Śūrapadma. See Murugan. Next: Cūracamhāram, Sunday 15 November 2026.
- Nov – Dec · starKārttikai DīpamThe Kṛttikā star in Kārttikai, usually at full moon: rows of clay lamps at every door, and the great flame lit on the hill of Tiruvaṇṇāmalai. Next: Tuesday 24 November 2026.
- 16 Dec – 13 Jan · solarThe month of MārkaḻiThe sacred dawn month: women and girls draw large kolams before sunrise, and temples sing Āṇṭāḷ’s Tiruppāvai and Māṇikkavācakar’s Tiruvempāvai — one verse each morning. Weddings are avoided; devotion fills the month.
- Dec – Jan · lunarVaikuṇṭha EkādaśīThe Ekādaśī of the bright half in Mārkaḻi: the “gate of heaven” (paramapada vācal) is opened at Vishnu temples before dawn, after a night’s vigil and fast. Next: Sunday 20 December 2026.
- Dec – Jan · starTiruvātirai (Ārudrā Darśanam)The Ārdrā star in Mārkaḻi: Naṭarāja, Shiva as cosmic dancer, is honoured at dawn, especially at Chidambaram, with the sweet dish kaḷi.
Windows are approximate. For the monthly rhythm — Ekādaśī, Pradōṣam, Pūrṇimā, Amāvāsyā, Saṅkaṭahara Caturtti, Kiruttikai for Murugan — see Vratas & Fasting.
A month of dawns
One month deserves its own words, because a woman made it famous. Around the eighth or ninth century, by historians’ estimates, the poet-saint Āṇṭāḷ, one of the twelve Āḻvārs and the only woman among them, composed thirty verses imagining the girls of Krishna’s village waking one another for a dawn vow in Mārkaḻi. Her poem, the Tiruppāvai, is still sung across the Tamil world — including in Malaysian temples — one verse each morning of the month. It begins with the calendar itself:
நீராடப் போதுவீர் போதுமினோ நேரிழையீர் mārkaḻit tiṅkaḷ matiniṟainta naṉṉāḷāl
nīrāṭap pōtuvīr pōtumiṉō nēriḻaiyīr It is the month of Mārkaḻi, a good day, the moon at its full — you who will come to bathe, come now, girls in fine jewels! Āṇṭāḷ, Tiruppāvai, verse 1 (Nālāyira Divya Prabandham)
Solar month and full moon, in a single line: Āṇṭāḷ’s poem opens with the two clocks of the pañcāṅga. For more on the Āḻvārs, see Tamil Sacred Literature.
Malaysia: what is a public holiday?
Malaysian public holidays are set federally and by each state, and published each year by the Prime Minister’s Department. For Hindus, the picture is simple — and a little surprising to newcomers:
🪔Deepavali — federalEvery state except Sarawak
Deepavali is a federal public holiday, observed in every state and federal territory (including Labuan) except Sarawak. When it falls on a weekend, a replacement day is usually given, following each state’s weekend. The 2027 schedule lists Thursday 28 October, marked as subject to change.
🦚Thaipusam — some statesNot a federal holiday
Thaipusam is a state holiday in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Penang, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Johor. It is not a holiday in Melaka, Pahang, Kelantan, Terengganu, Perlis, Sabah or Sarawak. Kedah has in some years declared a one-off “occasional holiday” for it. For 2027 it falls on Friday 22 January — check your own state’s list, since state schedules can change.
📅Everything elseWorking days
Pongal, Tamil New Year, Maha Shivaratri, Navaratri, Holi, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi and the rest are not public holidays anywhere in Malaysia. Families take leave, temples hold their main rites in the evening or on the nearest weekend, and schools with many Hindu pupils often make their own arrangements. Community practice
For Malaysia’s Hindus, about two million people, most of them of Tamil heritage, the year therefore has two great public peaks — Thaipusam and Deepavali — and many quieter festivals kept at home and in the temple. Community practice Big temples such as Sri Maha Mariamman in Kuala Lumpur, the Batu Caves Murugan temple, the Penang Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani (Waterfall Hill) temple and the cave temples of Ipoh draw the largest crowds; but neighbourhood and estate temples often keep the fuller calendar, from Paṅkuṉi Uttiram to Mārkaḻi.
Which clock sets which festival?
Thaipusam is set by…
That is why it moves only between mid-January and mid-February.
Which is a federal public holiday in Malaysia?
Deepavali is federal (except in Sarawak); Thaipusam is a state holiday in seven states and territories.
The Tiruppāvai is sung in which month?
Āṇṭāḷ’s thirty verses, one for each dawn of Mārkaḻi (mid-December to mid-January).
Which festival barely moves in the Western calendar?
Puthandu is solar — the first day of Cittirai — so it is almost always 14 April.
Questions people often ask
Why do Malaysian and Indian dates sometimes differ?
A tithi or star must be in force at a particular moment — sunrise, midday, evening or midnight — and that moment comes at a different time in Malaysia from India. Temples may also follow different almanacs. A one-day difference is normal and nothing to worry about.
Why does Deepavali in 2027 come so much earlier than in 2026?
Twelve lunar months are about eleven days shorter than the solar year, so lunar festivals arrive earlier each year — 8 November 2026, then 28 October 2027 — until an extra month pushes them later again. The next such extra month will reset the pattern. See The Panchanga.
Which festivals involve fasting?
Many: Maha Shivaratri, the six days of Skanda Ṣaṣṭhī, Vaikuṇṭha Ekādaśī, Janmashtami until midnight, the preparation for Thaipusam, and for some the nine days of Navaratri. Fasts should suit your health — adjust or skip them if you are ill, pregnant, diabetic, elderly or on medication, and ask your doctor if in doubt. See Vratas & Fasting.
Is there one Hindu New Year?
No. Tamils, Malayalis, Bengalis, Odias and Punjabis count from the sun’s entry into Mēṣa in mid-April; Telugus, Kannadigas and Marathis from Ugādi in spring; many Gujaratis from the day after Diwali. Each is a real new year by its own calendar.
Make your own year. Take this year’s temple calendar or a Tamil wall calendar, and mark three things: your family’s kula deivam festival, the day of your own birth star each month, and one festival you have never kept. When that festival comes round, keep it simply — a lamp, a story, a dish — and ask an elder how it was kept in their childhood.
॥ Pause and reflect
- Which festival in this calendar did you not know about? Which would you like to learn more about?
- Your working calendar and your sacred calendar run side by side. Where do they collide, and how do you choose?
- What does it feel like to live by the moon as well as the clock?
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Key terms on this page
Sources & further reading
- Āṇṭāḷ, Tiruppāvai — Vidya Dehejia, Āṇṭāḷ and Her Path of Love: Poems of a Woman Saint from South India (SUNY Press, 1990).
- Swami Sivananda, Hindu Fasts and Festivals (Divine Life Society).
- Carl Vadivella Belle, Tragic Orphans: Indians in Malaysia (ISEAS, 2015) — on Malaysian Hindu religious life and its history.
- Federal and state public holiday schedules for 2026 and 2027, Cabinet, Constitution and Intergovernmental Relations Division, Prime Minister’s Department, Malaysia (as reported October 2026).
- Dates checked against Drik Panchang, Hindupad and other published panchāṅga listings (October 2026).