Diwali 2026: Lakshmi Puja Muhurat, the Five-Day Calendar, and Why Govardhan Puja Isn't the Next Day

You can tell Diwali is close long before the first cracker. Walls get a fresh coat of whitewash, cupboards are emptied and scrubbed, and a stack of new clay diyas sits soaking in a bucket of water so they won't drink up all the oil on the night. Kitchens smell of ghee and roasting besan. Then, on the darkest night of Kartik, every doorway in the country lights up at once, and Lakshmi is invited in.

In 2026, Diwali, the night of Lakshmi Puja, falls on Sunday, 8 November. The festival opens with Dhanteras on 6 November and closes with Bhai Dooj on 11 November. The dates look unusual this year: Choti Diwali and Diwali share the same Sunday, and Govardhan Puja comes two days after Diwali, not one. Both have a simple reason, explained below.

Dhanteras: Friday, 6 November 2026

Choti Diwali (Naraka Chaturdashi): Sunday, 8 November 2026, before sunrise

Diwali / Lakshmi Puja: Sunday, 8 November 2026

Lakshmi Puja muhurat (Delhi): 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM

Govardhan Puja: Tuesday, 10 November 2026

Bhai Dooj: Wednesday, 11 November 2026

The Diwali 2026 calendar, day by day

• 6 November, Dhanteras: Dhanvantari and Kuber are worshipped, and families buy something new for the home, often a metal utensil, a coin, or simply a new broom. In the evening a diya is lit at the door for Yama.

• 8 November, Choti Diwali at dawn: Naraka Chaturdashi, also called Roop Chaudas, with the abhyang snan, an oil bath before sunrise.

• 8 November, Diwali in the evening: the main night. Lakshmi-Ganesh Puja, and diyas everywhere.

• 9 November, Kartik Amavasya: a quiet day of snan and daan. The Amavasya is still running at sunrise, so no festival falls on it.

• 10 November, Govardhan Puja: Annakut, the mountain of food offered to Krishna. Also Gujarati New Year and Bali Pratipada.

• 11 November, Bhai Dooj: sisters put a tilak on their brothers and pray for their long life.

Why Choti Diwali and Diwali fall on the same day

The heart of Naraka Chaturdashi is the abhyang snan, an oil bath taken before sunrise while the Chaturdashi tithi is running. In 2026 Chaturdashi begins during the day on 7 November and lasts until late morning on 8 November, so the only dawn it covers is Sunday's. That puts Choti Diwali on the morning of 8 November, and Lakshmi Puja on the evening of the same day. Some calendars still mark 7 November, because Chaturdashi starts that day, but the snan itself belongs to the 8th.

Why Govardhan Puja isn't the day after Diwali this year

Most years Govardhan Puja follows Diwali the very next morning, so this one catches people off guard. Govardhan Puja belongs to Kartik Shukla Pratipada, and festivals like it are kept on the day that tithi is present at sunrise. In 2026 the Amavasya begins in the late morning of 8 November and runs on until around midday on 9 November. So at sunrise on the 9th, it is still Amavasya, and Pratipada first meets a sunrise on Tuesday, 10 November. Bhai Dooj, on the next tithi, moves with it to Wednesday, 11 November.

You will see some holiday lists showing 9 and 10 November. Those follow the usual "next day" pattern rather than the panchang. If your family or temple follows the sunrise rule, it's 10 and 11.

Lakshmi Puja muhurat, and how it's chosen

Lakshmi Puja isn't timed by Choghadiya. The traditional window has three conditions at once: it falls in Pradosh Kaal, the roughly two and a half hours after sunset; the Amavasya tithi is running; and a sthir (fixed) lagna is rising, usually Vrishabha, which is believed to make Lakshmi stay rather than pass through. Where all three overlap is the muhurat.

For Delhi in 2026: Pradosh Kaal 5:31 PM – 8:09 PM, and the Lakshmi Puja muhurat 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM. Sunset shifts by city, so the window moves by several minutes depending on where you are. Families who keep Kali Puja or a tantric observance work in the later Mahanishita Kaal around midnight, but for a household puja, the Pradosh window is the one to use.

Lakshmi-Ganesh Puja at home, step by step

1. Clean the puja space and make a rangoli at the main door. Many families draw small footprints walking inward, Lakshmi's steps into the house.

2. Place a red cloth on a chowki and set Lakshmi and Ganesh side by side, usually new idols bought for this year.

3. Set a kalash of water with mango leaves, and keep coins, jewellery, or account books near the idols.

4. Light a ghee diya and incense, offer flowers, roli, and akshat, and recite the Lakshmi and Ganesh mantras.

5. Offer kheel-batashe, sweets and fruit, then do the aarti together as a family.

6. Light diyas through the house and at the door. Many keep one ghee diya burning through the night.

Kheel-batashe, puffed rice with little sugar drops, is the most Diwali of all offerings in North India, and it costs almost nothing. It's a good reminder that the puja is about the welcome, not the spend.

Small things that make a difference

• Soak new diyas in water for a few hours and dry them before use. Otherwise the clay absorbs the oil and the flame dies early.

• Don't pick a time from Choghadiya for Lakshmi Puja. It's meant for travel and daily work, not this puja.

• On Dhanteras, small is fine. A steel utensil or a new broom carries the same meaning as gold.

• Old idols from last year are usually immersed in water or kept respectfully, not thrown away.

• Firecracker rules vary by city. Diyas and rangoli carry the festival just as well.

One festival, many meanings

• North India: Rama's return to Ayodhya, about three weeks after the Dussehra victory.

• Bengal, Odisha, Assam: the same Amavasya night is Kali Puja, worshipped late at night.

• Gujarat: Diwali closes the year; the next day of Pratipada, 10 November this year, is Bestu Varas, the New Year.

• South India: Naraka Chaturdashi, with an early-morning oil bath, is often the main day.

• Jain and Sikh traditions: Mahavira's nirvana, and Bandi Chhor Divas.

Frequently asked

When is Diwali in 2026?

Diwali, with Lakshmi Puja, is on Sunday, 8 November 2026.

What is the Lakshmi Puja muhurat?

In Delhi, 5:54 PM to 7:50 PM, within Pradosh Kaal while Vrishabha lagna is rising. It shifts by a few minutes in other cities.

Is Choti Diwali on 7 or 8 November?

The Naraka Chaturdashi oil bath is on the morning of Sunday, 8 November, the same day as Lakshmi Puja. Some calendars show 7 November because Chaturdashi begins that day.

Is Govardhan Puja on 9 or 10 November?

By the panchang sunrise rule, Tuesday, 10 November. Amavasya is still running at sunrise on the 9th. Some holiday lists show 9 November.

When is Bhai Dooj 2026?

Wednesday, 11 November 2026.

When is Dhanteras 2026?

Friday, 6 November 2026. Dhanteras puja muhurat in Delhi: 6:02 PM – 7:57 PM.

For the daily Panchang, every Diwali date from Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj, and a reminder before each one, Kaalo keeps the whole Hindu calendar in your pocket, offline.