Most people don’t struggle with the idea of a vrat. They struggle with the details: which day exactly, what can I eat, when do I break the fast, and what if I’m doing this for the first time? This guide to the Lala Ramswaroop Calendar Vrat & Rules 2026-2027 is built around those practical questions. It lists the upcoming fasting dates through April 2027, explains the rules for each major vrat in plain language, and gives you a simple way to plan a fast that fits your health and routine.
Why Vrat Dates Move Every Year
Vrats follow the Hindu lunar calendar, where each month is divided into two fortnights and each fortnight into fifteen tithis. A tithi does not begin at midnight, and it is not exactly one civil day long. Two practical consequences follow:
- The fasting day is usually the day the tithi is present at sunrise. If an Ekadashi spans two days, the sunrise rule normally decides which one you keep.
- Some fasts have two valid dates. For certain Ekadashis, Smarta households fast on one day and many Vaishnava households on the next. Devutthana Ekadashi this year is an example: 20 November for Smarta households and 21 November for many Vaishnavas.
Leap years in the Hindu calendar add another twist. 2026 had an extra lunar month (Adhik Maas, 17 May to 15 June), which pushed festivals like Navratri and Diwali later than usual and added two extra Ekadashis, Padmini and Parama.
Choose Your Vrat: A Quick Comparison
| Vrat | Tithi | Dedicated To | Main Practice | Typical Way to Break the Fast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ekadashi | 11th, twice a month | Lord Vishnu | No rice, grains or pulses | Next morning, within the parana window |
| Pradosh | 13th, twice a month | Lord Shiva | Day-long fast, evening puja | After the evening puja |
| Sankashti Chaturthi | 4th of the waning fortnight | Lord Ganesha | Fast until moonrise | After sighting the moon |
| Purnima | Full moon | Lord Vishnu, Satyanarayan | Holy bath, katha, charity | After the puja |
| Amavasya | New moon | Ancestors | Tarpan and donation | After the rites |
| Monday | Weekly, optional | Lord Shiva | One satvik meal or fruit | In the evening after prayer |
| Navratri | Nine days, twice a year | Goddess Durga | No onion, garlic or grains | After Navami, on Dussehra or the next day |
| Karva Chauth | Krishna Chaturthi, autumn | Shiva-Parvati and the Moon | Fast from sunrise to moonrise | After offering Arghya to the moon |
The Core Rules Behind Every Vrat
Whatever vrat you keep, these principles run through almost all of them:
- Start clean and early. Bathe before sunrise and keep the puja space tidy.
- State your sankalp. A sankalp is a short statement of intention. It can be silent. It makes the fast a vow instead of a skipped meal.
- Eat satvik or abstain. Avoid onion, garlic, alcohol and non-vegetarian food on any fasting day.
- Keep the mind steady. Most traditions treat patience and gentle speech as part of the fast, as important as the food rules.
- Respect the time to break the fast. Parana is not “whenever you feel hungry”. Each vrat has its own correct moment.
- Put health first. No tradition asks you to harm yourself to complete a vrat.
Vrat-by-Vrat Rules
Ekadashi
Ekadashi is the most widely kept vrat after the festival fasts. Rice, wheat, other grains and most pulses are avoided. Fruit, milk, nuts, potato, sabudana and flours such as kuttu and singhara are common choices. Many families eat lightly the previous evening so the fast is easier to keep.
Parana happens on Dwadashi, the next day. The correct window starts after sunrise and ends before Dwadashi finishes, and Panchangs advise against breaking the fast during Hari Vasara, the first quarter of Dwadashi. Check the printed parana time for your city instead of estimating.
Pradosh
Pradosh falls on Trayodashi. The central moment is the Pradosh Kaal, the twilight window around sunset, when devotees offer water, milk and bel patra to the Shivling. How long that window lasts differs between traditions, so use the Pradosh puja time printed for your city. The weekday adds a flavour to the fast, as the table below shows.
| Pradosh Falling On | Traditionally Associated With |
|---|---|
| Sunday (Ravi Pradosh) | Health and long life |
| Monday (Som Pradosh) | Peace of mind and fulfilment of wishes |
| Tuesday (Bhauma Pradosh) | Relief from illness and debt |
| Wednesday | Knowledge and clarity |
| Thursday | Guidance and blessings of teachers |
| Friday | Harmony at home |
| Saturday (Shani Pradosh) | Relief from obstacles and Shani’s influence |
These associations come from popular tradition rather than a single authoritative text, and different families emphasise different ones.
Sankashti Chaturthi
Observed on the fourth day of the waning fortnight, Sankashti Chaturthi is dedicated to Lord Ganesha. The fast is broken only after sighting the moon and offering prayers, so check moonrise for your own city. When it falls on a Tuesday it is called Angarki Chaturthi and is considered especially powerful.
Purnima and Amavasya
Purnima is a day for a holy bath, a Satyanarayan katha and charity. Amavasya is traditionally the day for tarpan and donations in the name of ancestors. Somvati Amavasya (on a Monday) and Shanishchari Amavasya (on a Saturday) are viewed as more significant than a regular new moon.
Navratri
Navratri is a nine-day vrat. Onion, garlic, alcohol and non-vegetarian food are avoided, and sendha namak replaces table salt. Some families fast all nine days, some only on the first and last, and some on Ashtami and Navami. Sharad Navratri 2026 ended on 19 October and Dussehra fell on 20 October. The next one, Chaitra Navratri, starts on 7 April 2027.
Karva Chauth
Karva Chauth is traditionally a nirjala fast, with no food or water from sunrise to moonrise, kept for a spouse’s well-being. It falls on Thursday, 29 October 2026. Moonrise differs from city to city, so use your own city’s time. Many families now keep a modified version, which is a personal and medical choice.
The 24 Ekadashis by Name
Every Ekadashi has its own name and story, and the names repeat each Hindu year. This table is useful for finding the one that falls on your calendar.
| Month | Krishna Paksha (Waning) | Shukla Paksha (Waxing) |
|---|---|---|
| Chaitra | Papmochani | Kamada |
| Vaishakha | Varuthini | Mohini |
| Jyeshtha | Apara | Nirjala |
| Ashadha | Yogini | Devshayani |
| Shravana | Kamika | Putrada (Shravana) |
| Bhadrapada | Aja | Parivartini |
| Ashwin | Indira | Papankusha |
| Kartik | Rama | Devutthana (Prabodhini) |
| Margashirsha | Utpanna | Mokshada |
| Pausha | Saphala | Putrada (Pausha) |
| Magha | Shattila | Jaya |
| Phalguna | Vijaya | Amalaki |
In a year with an Adhik Maas, two more are added: Padmini and Parama.
Upcoming Ekadashi Dates: October 2026 to April 2027
| Date | Day | Ekadashi | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Oct 2026 | Thursday | Papankusha | Parana on Dwadashi, the next morning |
| 20 Nov 2026 | Friday | Devutthana | Smarta; many Vaishnavas observe 21 Nov; ends Chaturmas |
| 6 Dec 2026 | Sunday | Utpanna | |
| 20 Dec 2026 | Sunday | Mokshada | Also observed as Gita Jayanti |
| 3 Jan 2027 | Sunday | Saphala | |
| 19 Jan 2027 | Tuesday | Putrada (Pausha) | |
| 2 Feb 2027 | Tuesday | Shattila | |
| 17 Feb 2027 | Wednesday | Jaya | |
| 4 Mar 2027 | Thursday | Vijaya | Some Panchangs list 3 Mar |
| 18 Mar 2027 | Thursday | Amalaki | |
| 2 Apr 2027 | Friday | Papmochani | |
| 17 Apr 2027 | Saturday | Kamada |
Other Key Fasts and Festivals to Plan For
| Date | Observance |
|---|---|
| 29 Oct 2026 | Karva Chauth |
| 24 Nov 2026 | Kartik Purnima and Dev Deepawali |
| 15 Jan 2027 | Makar Sankranti |
| 6 Mar 2027 | Maha Shivratri |
| 21-22 Mar 2027 | Holika Dahan and Holi |
| 7 Apr 2027 | Chaitra Navratri and Hindu New Year (Vikram Samvat 2084) |
Chaturmas in 2026
Chaturmas is the four-month period when Lord Vishnu is believed to rest, from Devshayani Ekadashi (25 July 2026) to Devutthana Ekadashi (20 November 2026). Weddings and housewarmings are traditionally paused, and many families follow food restrictions that vary by month and region, such as avoiding certain vegetables, curd, milk or pulses in particular months. If your family follows any of these, your Panchang or priest will tell you which applies.
A Simple Plan for Your First Vrat
If you have never kept a vrat before, start small:
- Pick one fast. Ekadashi or a Monday is a gentle place to begin.
- Choose a version you can keep. A fruit-and-milk fast is perfectly valid. You don’t need to start with a waterless one.
- Prepare the day before. Stock fruit, sabudana, kuttu or singhara flour, potatoes, makhana and sendha namak.
- Look up the timing. Note the tithi, the parana window and, for Sankashti or Karva Chauth, moonrise.
- Eat light afterwards. Break the fast with something simple, not a heavy meal.
A Sample Fasting-Day Menu
| Meal | Ideas |
|---|---|
| Morning | Fruit, or milk with makhana |
| Midday | Sabudana khichdi or kuttu roti with potato and curd |
| Evening | Fruit chaat, or singhara-flour snack baked or shallow-fried |
| Parana | Light home-cooked meal such as khichdi or rice and dal, as your tradition allows |
Fried fasting snacks are tempting, but too much oil and sugar can leave you tired. Drink water through the day wherever your fast allows it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most important rule of an Ekadashi vrat? Avoiding rice and grains is the best-known rule, followed by a calm mind and breaking the fast during the correct parana window on Dwadashi.
What is the difference between Ekadashi and Pradosh? Ekadashi falls on the eleventh lunar day and honours Lord Vishnu. Pradosh falls on the thirteenth, honours Lord Shiva and centres on an evening puja at twilight.
When is the next Ekadashi? Papankusha Ekadashi on Thursday, 22 October 2026. Devutthana Ekadashi follows on 20 November, observed on 21 November by many Vaishnavas.
Why do vrat dates change every year? Because they follow lunar tithis, not fixed English dates. Leap months like 2026’s Adhik Maas shift the calendar further.
Is a sankalp required before every vrat? It isn’t mandatory for every minor fast, but it is considered good practice and is strongly recommended for major vrats such as Ekadashi and Navratri.
Can I drink water on Ekadashi? Traditions vary. Many families allow water, fruit and milk on Ekadashi, and the waterless version is reserved for specific fasts such as Nirjala Ekadashi. Choose what suits your health and family custom.
Can pregnant women or people with medical conditions keep a nirjala fast? They should consult a doctor first. A modified fast is widely accepted and is a valid way to keep the vrat.
What if I break a vrat by mistake? Most traditions place weight on intention. Resume your usual routine, don’t worry excessively, and if it troubles you, ask your family priest what is customary in your tradition.
Can I rely on this page instead of consulting a priest? For everyday vrat dates and rules, yes. For personal matters such as wedding muhurats or horoscope matching, a qualified priest or astrologer is the right authority.