Hindu Festival Calendar 2023 is presented here along with dates for all the festivals and holidays celebrated in Hindu Religion. Know more on Hindu Holidays and Festivals in 2023.
Hindu Festivals - The followers of Hinduism celebrate festivals related to Hindu Gods and ancient Hindu mythology. Hindus celebrate almost everything from birthday of Gods, religious significance to spring festivals such as Holi. Fast and rituals like aarti are a part of these Hindu religious celebrations which may last up to several days. Navratri is one such festival which is observed for almost 9 days twice a year. Some of these festivals are celebrated with great pomp and show across India. Diwali is one such Hindu festival which is celebrated by almost every Indian worldwide.
India, the land of varied cultures, ethnic groups, and traditions is a land of festivals and fairs. The country is home to people with diverse religions and faiths. Hinduism however dominates all the other religions and has the longest list of festivals owing to its widespread presence, regional variations, and number of followers.
Though, the major Hindu festivals are not just those which call for national holidays. One of the most peculiar features of Hindu festivals is that they encompass almost anything to everything, and that too has a quintessential divine aspect to it. There are celebrations typically for manifestations of gods and goddesses in their varied avtars, death of asuras (demons) and triumph of the gods. Ritualistic feasts are also carried out for seasons, days of the week, planetary events, lunar or solar eclipse and other phases of the moon, vedic principles, and even for creatures like snakes (Nag Panchami).
Diwali, Holi, Raksha Bandhan, Dussehra, and Janmashtami are the major Hindu festivals that are celebrated throughout the country with utmost fervor and gusto and involve lots of customs and rituals. Each festival has a deity presiding over it and all the festivities focusing on it. During Navratri, women put on all the adornments and are traditionally dressed up in tones of red, which appeal to Goddess Durga, the presiding deity of the festival.Some festivals celebrate a significant event in the life of a deity e.g. Janmashtami observes the birthday of Lord Krishna, while some are seasonal festivities or customs, like Holi.Some festivals are exclusively regional, like Onam in Kerala, whereas Hindu festivals such as Diwali, Dussehra, and Ganesh Chaturthi are now being celebrated globally.
During Hindu festivals, devotees observe rigorous fasts, visit the temple and worship the deities. Distribution of prasad, singing devotional chants (bhajans), decorating houses and temples are other major practices of the day. In a nutshell, each event in Hinduism has religious overtones and legends involving different gods.
With abundant holy days, the Hindu almanac is sprinkled considerably with a string of major festivals and a fever of celebrations one after the other. No matter what is the mode of celebration or the reason to celebrate - the Hindu festivals add to the colourful facet of India's cultural diversity, and leave enduring imprints of delight in the minds of people until another festival arrives.
List of Hindu festivals and religious celebrations in 2023.
Date | Day | Festival / Vrat / Upvas | Type |
---|---|---|---|
Jan 12 | Thursday | Swami Vivekananda Jayanti | Regarded as Great Leader |
Jan 15 | Sunday | Makar Sankranti | Hindu Festival |
Jan 20 | Friday | Masik Shivaratri | A day Dedicated to worship Lord Shiva (every month) |
Jan 21 | Friday | Sakat Chauth, Sankashti Chaturthi | Dedicated to Goddess Sakat, Lord Ganesha is also worshipped |
Jan 21 | Saturday | Mauni Amavasya | Hindu Festival |
Jan 22 | Sunday | Magha Gupta Navratri Begins | Begining of first Navratri of the Year |
Jan 26 | Thursday | Vasant Panchami | Dedicated to Hindu goddess Saraswati also popular as Saraswati Puja. |
Feb 05 | Sunday | Magha Purnima, Purnima Upavas, Guru Ravidas Jayanti | Hindu Festival |
Feb 18 | Saturday | Maha Shivaratri | Hindu Festival |
Mar 07 | Tuesday | Chhoti Holi, Holika Dahan | Hindu Festival |
Mar 08 | Wednesday | Holi | Festival of Colors |
Mar 15 | Wednesday | Basoda, Sheetala Ashtami | Hindu Festival |
Mar 22 | Wednesday | Chaitra Navratri | Hindu Festival |
Mar 22 | Wednesday | Gudi Padwa | Hindu Festival |
Mar 22 | Wednesday | Ugadi | Hindu Festival |
Mar 30 | Thursday | Ram Navami | Birthday of Lord Rama is celebrated in Hindu Religion. |
Apr 04 | Tuesday | Mahavir Jayanti | |
Apr 06 | Thursday | Hanuman Jayanti | Lord Hanuman birth anniversary |
Apr 14 - 16 | Friday ~ Sunday | Rongali Bihu | Hindu Festival |
Apr 14 | Friday | Solar New Year, Mesha Sankranti | |
Apr 15 | Saturday | Pohela Boishakh | Bengali New Year |
Apr 22 | Saturday | Akshaya Tritiya/ Akha Teej | Hindu Festival |
Apr 22 | Saturday | Parashurama Jayanti | Celebrated as birth anniversary of Guru Parashurama - An incarnation of Hindu God Lord Vishnu. |
May 01 | Monday | Thrissur Pooram | Largest and most famous of all poorams |
May 05 | Friday | Buddha Purnima | Hindu Festival |
May 09 | Tuesday | Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti | Celebrates birth anniversary |
May 23 | Tuesday | Maharana Pratap Jayanti | Hindu Festival |
May 30 | Tuesday | Ganga Dussehra | Hindu Festival |
Jun 20 | Tuesday | Jagannath Rath Yatra | Hindu Festival |
Jul 03 | Monday | Guru Purnima | Hindu Festival |
Aug 19 | Saturday | Hariyali Teej, Andal Jayanthi | |
Aug 21 | Monday | Nag Panchami | |
Aug 30 | Wednesday | Raksha Bandhan | Hindu Festival |
Sep 06 & 07 | Wednesday, Thursday | Sri Krishna Janmashtami | Celebrated as birthday of Hindu God Lord Krishna. |
Sep 07 | Thursday | Dahi Handi | Hindu Festival |
Sep 17 | Sunday | Vishwakarma Puja | Celebrates Birth of Vishwakarma (A Hindu God) |
Sep 18 | Monday | Hartalika Teej | Hindu Festival |
Sep 19 | Tuesday | Ganesh Chaturthi | Hindu Festival |
Sep 28 | Thursday | Ganesh Visarjan | Hindu Festival |
Oct 15 - 24 | Sunday ~ Tuesday | Sharad Navratri begins | Shardiya Navratri also known as Maha Navratri is the biggest and most popular festival in Hindu Religion. |
Oct 22 | Sunday | Durga Ashtami | Hindu Festival |
Oct 24 | Tuesday | Dussehra, Durga Visarjan, Vijayadashami, Mysore Dasara | Hindu Festival |
Oct 28 | Saturday | Sharad Purnima | Hindu Festival |
Oct 28 | Saturday | Valmiki Jayanti | Hindu Festival |
Nov 01 | Wednesday | Karva Chauth | Hindu Festival |
Nov 10 | Friday | Dhan Teras | Hindu Festival |
Nov 11 | Saturday | Narak Chaturdashi, Kali Chaudas | Hindu Festival |
Nov 12 | Sunday | Diwali, Lakshmi Puja, Dipmalika | Hindu Festival |
Nov 14 | Tuesday | Govardhan Puja, Bali Pratipada, New Samvat Begins | Hindu Festival |
Nov 14 | Tuesday | Bhaiya Dooj | Hindu Festival |
Nov 17 | Friday | Chhath Puja Begins (Nahai Khai) | Tritiya, Nahay Khay |
Nov 19 | Sunday | Chhath Puja Ends (Sandhya Argh) | Shashthi, Chhath Puja |
Dec 11 | Monday | Masik Shivaratri | Hindu devotees worship Lord Shiva every month and keep fast. |