The Five Days of Diwali 2026, on American Time
October 7, 2026 · 4 min read
Hindu festivals aren't tied to calendar dates. They're tied to tithis, the lunar days. A tithi begins and ends at the same instant everywhere on earth, but that instant lands at a different hour in each place. A festival goes to whichever local day has the right tithi at the right moment. For some festivals that moment is sunrise, for some it's the afternoon, and for Diwali it's the evening. Move twelve time zones west and that moment can land on a different calendar day.
The week, day by day
| Festival | Date in the US | What decides the day |
|---|---|---|
| Dhanteras | Friday, Nov 6 | Trayodashi during the evening |
| Choti Diwali (Naraka Chaturdashi) | Saturday, Nov 7 | Chaturdashi before sunrise |
| Lakshmi Puja (Diwali) | Sunday, Nov 8 | Amavasya during Pradosh Kaal |
| Govardhan Puja / Annakut | Monday, Nov 9 | Pratipada at sunrise |
| Bhai Dooj | Tuesday, Nov 10 | Dwitiya in the afternoon |
Why two days come earlier here
The new moon arrives at 2:02 AM Eastern on Monday, November 9, which is 12:32 PM in India. In New Jersey, Monday's sunrise already falls in Pratipada, the first day of the new lunar month, so Govardhan Puja is on Monday. In Delhi, Monday's sunrise is still in Amavasya. Pratipada doesn't start there until lunchtime, so India marks Govardhan Puja on Tuesday.
Bhai Dooj moves by a day for the same reason. Dwitiya covers Tuesday afternoon everywhere in the US. In India it begins at 2:01 PM on Tuesday, so the first afternoon it fully covers is Wednesday's.
Neither date is more correct than the other. Each one is right for the sky over the place where it's observed. A sister in Houston can mark Bhai Dooj on her Tuesday and still call her brother in Pune on his Wednesday.
Dhanteras: the puja window and the purchase
The Dhanteras puja works the same way as Lakshmi Puja: Trayodashi in the evening, ideally while the fixed Vrishabha lagna is rising. For the customary purchase of gold, silver or a new vessel, most families count the whole of Trayodashi as good. In 2026 that runs from 12:01 AM Eastern on Friday, November 6 to 12:19 AM Eastern on Saturday, November 7 (9:01 PM Thursday to 9:19 PM Friday, Pacific).
| City | Dhanteras puja, Friday, Nov 6 |
|---|---|
| Bay Area (San Jose) | 5:29 – 7:20 PM |
| Los Angeles | 5:22 – 7:14 PM |
| Seattle | 5:04 – 6:46 PM |
| Phoenix | 5:58 – 7:51 PM |
| Dallas | 5:59 – 7:52 PM |
| Houston | 5:59 – 7:54 PM |
| Austin | 6:07 – 8:02 PM |
| Chicago | 5:02 – 6:49 PM |
| Atlanta | 6:07 – 8:00 PM |
| Washington, DC | 5:27 – 7:16 PM |
| New York / New Jersey | 5:12 – 7:01 PM |
| Boston | 4:54 – 6:41 PM |
One more date to remember
Dev Uthani Ekadashi falls on Friday, November 20 in the US. It traditionally ends Chaturmas and reopens the season for weddings and griha pravesh, so if you're closing on a house this fall, that's the date your planning starts from.