Moon day · The Moon

Purnima

The full moon, the brightest night of the month and a time for worship and giving. Many families do Satyanarayan Puja.

Next Purnima
Monday 26 October 2026
New Delhi

For New Delhi, Monday 26 October 2026

Purnima tithi

Begins
11:56 am, 25 Oct
Ends
9:42 am
Sunrise
6:29 am
Sunset
5:41 pm
Moonrise
5:39 pm
Moonset
Not this day

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

Full panchang for this day →

How it is kept

Customs vary by region and family

  • Fast until moonrise or through the day
  • Do Satyanarayan Puja
  • Give to charity

What it remembers

Purnima, the full moon, closes the bright fortnight every month. It is the brightest night of the month and a day for worship, giving and the vrat: many families keep the Purnima fast, do the Satyanarayan Puja, and bathe in a river. Many of the year’s festivals fall on it, from Holi to Guru Purnima, Raksha Bandhan and Kartik Purnima.

Satyanarayan’s promise

The Skanda Purana tells that Vishnu, as Satyanarayan, the Lord of truth, taught Narada a simple puja for the age of Kali, open to anyone: a poor brahmin, a woodcutter, a merchant, a king. Those who kept it prospered; those who forgot their vow lost their fortune until they kept it again. It is done on the full moon in many homes.

The moon’s sixteen kalas

Chandra, the moon, waxes through fifteen tithis to its full sixteen kalas on Purnima. The Puranas say the moon was cursed by his father-in-law Daksha to waste away, and Shiva set him on his head to save him: he wanes and waxes ever since, full once a month.

Each month’s full moon

Every Purnima has its own name and festival: Chaitra (Hanuman Jayanti), Vaishakha (Buddha Purnima), Ashadha (Guru Purnima), Shravana (Raksha Bandhan), Ashvina (Sharad Purnima), Kartika (Kartik Purnima and Dev Deepawali), Magha (the Magha snan) and Phalguna (Holi).

The Satyanarayan Puja

The Satyanarayan Puja is the commonest Purnima worship, done in the evening or at moonrise. Families keep it in many ways; follow your own tradition where it differs.

  1. Fast through the day, or until the evening puja.
  2. Set up a raised seat with a cloth and a banana-stem frame, a kalash, and an image of Vishnu as Satyanarayan.
  3. Worship Ganesha first, then the nine planets and the kalash, then Satyanarayan with tulsi, flowers, fruit, and the panchamrit.
  4. Read or hear the five chapters of the Satyanarayan Katha.
  5. Offer the sheera (or panjiri) prasad of semolina, ghee, sugar and banana, and do the aarti.
  6. Offer water to the moon at moonrise, and share the prasad with everyone present.

What you need

  • An image of Vishnu as Satyanarayan, and a kalash
  • Banana leaves or stems, tulsi and flowers
  • Semolina, ghee, sugar and banana for the sheera
  • Panchamrit, fruit, a lamp and incense
  • The Satyanarayan Katha to read from

Across India

Across India

Satyanarayan Puja at home on the full moon, often to mark a housewarming, a birthday or a new venture.

River banks

A holy bath on the full moon, above all in Kartika, Magha and Vaishakha, at Prayagraj, Varanasi and Haridwar.

South India

Pournami: the full moon walk (girivalam) round Arunachala at Tiruvannamalai draws lakhs every month.

Buddhist and Jain tradition

Poya days in Sri Lanka, Uposatha observance, and Jain fasting on the full moon.

When it falls

Once a month, on Purnima. Kept on the day the tithi holds at sunrise.

These are the usual rules. A few days can differ by a day in your tradition, so check with your temple.

Coming Purnima dates

New Delhi, India time

  • Mon 26 Oct 2026
  • Tue 24 Nov 2026
  • Wed 23 Dec 2026
  • Fri 22 Jan 2027
  • Sat 20 Feb 2027
  • Mon 22 Mar 2027
  • Tue 20 Apr 2027
  • Thu 20 May 2027
  • Fri 18 June 2027
  • Sun 18 July 2027
  • Tue 17 Aug 2027
  • Wed 15 Sept 2027

Questions

When is Purnima in 2026?

Monday 26 October 2026, in New Delhi. In a few places it can fall a day apart, so the date above is worked out for your city.

When does Purnima fall?

Once a month, on Purnima. Kept on the day the tithi holds at sunrise.

How is Purnima kept?

Families fast until moonrise or through the day, do Satyanarayan Puja and give to charity. Customs vary by region and family.

Who is honoured on Purnima?

The Moon. The full moon, the brightest night of the month and a time for worship and giving. Many families do Satyanarayan Puja.

Is the Purnima fast kept on the same day as the full moon?

Usually, but not always. The vrat (Purnima Upavas) is kept on the day Purnima holds at moonrise or in the evening, which can be the day before the Purnima shown at sunrise. Follow your family calendar; the page shows when Purnima begins and ends for your city.

Why is Satyanarayan Puja done on Purnima?

The Skanda Purana names the full moon (and any auspicious day) for it. The full moon is the fullest day of the month, and the puja, of Vishnu as the Lord of truth, is simple and open to all.

Which festivals fall on a Purnima?

Hanuman Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, Guru Purnima, Raksha Bandhan, Sharad Purnima, Kartik Purnima and Dev Deepawali, Magha Purnima, and Holika Dahan the night before Holi.

Related

All festivals and vrats →