The magic calendar
103 festivals, solstices, days of the dead and lucky and unlucky days, with the entries tied to each. Dates are worked out afresh every day; those marked "about" follow the moon or local calendars and can shift by a day.
Sponsored ClearTrust Solstices, festivals, days of the dead and omen days, with the dates each next falls on.
October 2026
November 2026
about 1 Nov to 29 Apr 2027The Theyyam season of north KeralaFrom autumn to late spring, men in towering costumes become gods in village shrines and bless the people who kneel before them.
8 Nov 2026Kali PujaThe midnight worship of the goddess Kali on the new-moon night of Diwali, in Bengal, Odisha and Assam.December 2026
17 Dec 2026San Lazaro and Babalu-AyeIn Cuba and its diaspora, pilgrims honour St Lazarus, who is also Babalu-Aye, the orisha of disease and healing, on 17 December.
31 Dec 2026Iemanja and New Year in RioOn New Year's Eve in Rio de Janeiro, millions in white throw flowers and gifts into the sea, and jump seven waves, for Iemanja.January 2027
13 to 23 Jan 2027Galungan and KuninganBali's ten days when ancestors are believed to return home, marked with bamboo penjor and offerings.
19 to 21 Jan 2027TimkatThe Ethiopian Epiphany, when the tabots, replicas of the Ark, are carried to water that is blessed for baptism renewal.
22 Jan 2027Thaipusam and the kavadiThe Tamil festival of Murugan, when devotees carry kavadi burdens, some with hooks and skewers through the skin.March 2027
September 2027
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Nyepi: Matt Croxson, Public domain, source
- Theyyam: Shagil Kannur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kaparot: https://www.flickr.com/people/69061470@N05, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Vesak Blessings: ผู้สร้างสรรค์ผลงาน/ส่งข้อมูลเก็บในคลังข้อมูลเสรีวิกิมีเดียคอมมอนส์ - เ, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Galungan Kuningan: Davidelit, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kali Puja: Jonoikobangali, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Maha Shivaratri: Navneesh Ramessur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Navratri Nine Nights: Mukerjee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Durga Puja: Subhrajyoti07, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ambubachi Mela: Kunal Dalui, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nag Panchami: No machine-readable author provided. Krish Dulal assumed (based on cop, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Thaipusam Kavadi: hams Nocete, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Meskel: DanielGirmaTsige, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Timkat: Jean Rebiffé, CC BY 4.0, source
- Festa De Iemanja Salvador: Samuel Tobbytex007, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- San Lazaro Babalu Aye: Fernando Gomes de Ologunedé, CC BY-SA 4.0, source