Talk:Festivals (Utsava)

By Vishal Agarwal

Panchang calendar through the Rtu (Seasons)

Festivals are joyous celebrations, and no other sacred tradition has as many festivals as Sanātana Dharma. Traditionally, Hindu communities have followed different lunar calendars that are adjusted against the solar calendar every three years. For this reason, the dates of Hindu festivals vary every year in the Gregorian calendar, though they generally fall within specific seasonal bounds.

For example, Dīpāvalī (Diwali) will always occur between mid-October and mid-November. Some Hindu festivals, like Lohri (Makara Saṅkrānti, Pongal), Baisākhī, and Viśvakarma Jayantī follow the solar calendar.

Hardly any month in the Hindu calendar passes without one or two festivals. The traditional Hindu year is divided into 12 lunar months (with an extra 13th intercalary month every three years), and these are grouped under six ṛtu-s (seasons).

The chart below shows the array of Hindu festivals throughout the calendar year: