Festival dates explained
Why Hindu Festival Dates Can Vary by City
A Hindu festival is not always tied to a midnight-to-midnight civil date. Its observance may depend on which lunar day is active at local sunrise or during a specific worship period.
Reviewed and updated July 26, 2026
A tithi is not a fixed calendar date
A tithi is a lunar day defined by the changing angular relationship between the Sun and Moon. It can begin or end at any clock time, so it does not line up neatly with a civil date.
When a tithi spans parts of two dates, the traditional rule for a festival determines which date is observed.
Local sunrise changes the answer
Sunrise occurs at different moments around the world. A tithi that ends shortly before sunrise in one city may still be active at sunrise in another.
That is why a calendar calculated for Delhi should not automatically be reused in London, Toronto, Sydney, or San Francisco.
Some festivals use a specific time window
Not every observance is decided by sunrise alone. Diwali Lakshmi Puja considers Amavasya during Pradosha, Janmashtami considers Ashtami around Nishita, and Raksha Bandhan may consider Aparahna and Bhadra.
The relevant window and the tithi must be evaluated together for the selected location.
- Use a city-specific panchang.
- Check the festival's observance rule, not only its tithi.
- Expect edge cases near tithi boundaries and across time zones.
What Nitya does
Nitya Panchang uses your selected city to present local panchang context, festival dates, and reminders. The app also keeps essential calendar information available offline after setup.
For family or temple traditions, treat the local priest or community calendar as the final authority when observance customs differ.