December 2026 Festivals

Vivah Panchami celebrates the divine marriage of Lord Rama and Sita — which took place on this tithi in the Treta Yuga. Sage Vishvamitra had brought Rama and his brother Lakshmana to Mithila. The condition of Sita's swayamvar was to string and lift the Shiva Dhanush (divine bow). Rama not only lifted but broke the bow. Their wedding is described in the Valmiki Ramayana and the Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas. Janakpur in Nepal (Sita's birthplace) and Ayodhya (Rama's birthplace) have the grandest celebrations with the entire wedding ceremony re-enacted.

Shukla Panchami of Margashirsha (November/December)

Geeta Jayanti marks the day when Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra approximately 5,100 years ago. The Gita contains 700 verses across 18 chapters covering karma, bhakti, jnana, the nature of the self, dharma, and the path to liberation. It remains the most influential spiritual text of Hinduism. Kurukshetra in Haryana — the site of the original discourse — hosts a major Gita Mahotsav festival on this day with recitations, cultural programmes, and gatherings of scholars.

Shukla Ekadashi of Margashirsha (November/December — also called Mokshada Ekadashi)

Vaikuntha Ekadashi is the most sacred of all 24 Ekadashis. On this day, Vishnu opened the Vaikuntha Dwara (the door to his heavenly abode) to grant liberation to those who fasted and stayed awake all night. In Tamil Nadu, it is called Vaikunta Ekadashi and the 'Paramapada Vasal' (gateway to Vaikuntha) at Srirangam temple is opened only on this day — devotees pass through it to symbolically attain Vaikuntha. The queues at Srirangam and Tirupati extend for miles.

Shukla Ekadashi of Margashirsha (December) — Dhanurmasa Ekadashi in South India